One of my favorite Chicago projects has always been Benjamin, the superfly R&B alter ego of Ben Pirani, front man for blues-rockers Chicago Stone Lightning Band and hype man for Windy City Soul Club. However, Benjamin only existed in the form of a short-run, two-song cassette release on Priority Male, a hilarious music video, and a shelved collaboration with “wurkstep” pioneers Sich Mang. Pirani has since moved to New York, dyed his hair blond, and hooked up with new Humboldt Park funk and R&B label Cherries Records, who this week released a new Benjamin seven-inch. The record’s A side, “Love Is Gonna Let You Down,” is a funky, 80s-flavored dance track, punctuated with twinkly piano and horn blasts, but the highlight is the B-side track, “Not a Moment Too Soon”; it’s a full-on slow jam, complete with slap bass, phased-out synths, a wailing guitar solo, and—because why the hell not—a lot of 808 cowbell. It’s irresistible and has so much replay factor it’s not even funny. Cherries released an amazing/hilarious promo video for the record, which can be viewed after the jump.