Singer and saxophonist Karl Denson fronts the Tiny Universe as if he’s preaching the gospel. His energy and spirit are contagious while his songwriting serves a larger message of fellowship—across generations, genders, religions and cultures. Not surprisingly, he’s none too pleased with the current state of political discourse. Thus the reason why KDTU’s new album, ‘Gnomes & Badgers’ (out 3/8 on Seven Spheres Records), is Denson’s hard-grooving answer to these tragically divisive times. Highly regarded as one of the best live acts on the planet, KDTU distills the sweeping stylistic range of its concert performances into their own authentic sound throughout the recording. With ‘Gnomes &Badgers,” the inimitable Denson and his long-standing six piece unit that includes guitarist DJ Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and slide/lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman have delivered what is undoubtedly their strongest work yet.’ Along with KDTU, Denson serves as the touring saxophonist with The Rolling Stones, while continuing to hold down his role as a founding member of the seminal funk band, Greyboy Allstars.