Willie Hutch - The Mack. 1982 Motown (LP) (1973). Famous blaxploitation flick, that is considered one of the best in the genre (I haven't seen it). The music follows course, as it's mostly heavy soul funk in the Isaac Hayes / Curtis Mayfield tradition. The sound is awesome, with funky wah wah guitar, tight horn charts, bright production, and some crooning from Hutch. Back when ghetto life was depicted as charming and almost laughable. Having lived through it myself in the late 70s and early 80s - being school bussed to the Projects, not to mention working in the industrial districts of the ghetto - I can tell you it was anything but charming. I only wish I'd appreciated the music I was subjugated to at the time. I do now at least. Which gets us back to The Mack's soundtrack. Good title, but not exceptional like Shaft or Superfly. Going to let it sell, which it should do quickly. (9/4)
Strictly Taboo - Playing with Fire. 1991 private (MC). One of many obscure cassettes I've picked up in the last few years. This came from a thrift shop in Albuquerque, which is where Strictly Taboo are from. Side 1 is mostly blues rock with light funk and smooth jazz touches. Female vocals are provided by Hillary Smith and she has a great voice. The guitarist is Steven Katz who seems to be the leader. He has a nice tone and recalls Stevie Ray Vaughan in his style. Rick Allen's sax is where the smooth jazz comes in. Side 2 is mellower with more of a jazz and sophisti-pop influence, and one can hear some Sade here given Smith's vocal approach. No documentation of this existing on tape as I write this, though the CD can be found in Discogs (sold out). I found the album online, and both Katz and Smith have pages out there. RYM: 3.0 (7/29)
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup. 1968 Uni (LP). Found this curiosity at an estate sale recently. I was unfamiliar with the band, so why not try it? The Foundations were a UK group, and on Build Me Up Buttercup, they essentially play a type of soul rock. Not really psych, and certainly not funk. A little bit like The 5th Dimension but lacking in memorable hooks. Organ is the primary instrument with a smattering of horns. The songs become increasingly annoying, perhaps because I wanted them to develop in some form or fashion. But they never do and eventually the rating begins to slip. (7/18)
*Fela Kuti - Beasts of No Nation. 1989 Shanachie (MC). Now here's an artist I'd long forgotten about. Finding this tape at a thrift shop was also quite the surprise. And adding even further to the confusion (to use a Kuti title) is the album was released on Shanachie here in the States. A label I associate with Irish folk music like Planxty and The Chieftains. And well, one more crazy part of the puzzle: There are two different distinct releases of Beasts of No Nation. This one has two tracks. The other has the title track spread across both sides, one vocal, the other instrumental. It is the latter that was reissued by Knitting Factory to modern audiences. Back to Fela Kuti. I bought one of his 2-on-1 CDs at the height of his posthumous fame in the late 90s / early 2000s. While I enjoyed it, I did decide to move it out. And I was reminded why on Beasts of No Nation. As the cover suggests, Kuti was a radical political figure, already having been jailed by this time. And he was not to be silenced. The tracks set a deep funk groove (Afrobeat) with plenty of excellent tight horn charts. And then Kuti goes on his rant. Whether everything he sings is the gospel truth or the psychotic ramblings of a lunatic, one has to endure the duration as he goes on about it forever and a day. Still, those grooves. And to find this at a thrift shop. Way too cool. (6/26).
Sun - Sun-Power. 1977 Capitol (LP). When the album opened with rhythm guitar and tight horn charts, I thought I may have found my new favorite group. Especially given we have a full ten piece band here. But it quicky devolved into the typical funky soul disco of the day. Nothing really resonated with me. Sun-Power is the sophomore release from Dayton, Ohio based Sun. I was previously unfamiliar with them, but they had a nice seven album run on Capitol, no small feat. Later they added one more on the fledgling local Air City Records that also featured another Dayton area has-been: the Ohio Players. I'm up for hearing any and all, and will keep my eyes peeled, especially since many carry some value. (5/25)
Harvey Mason - Marching in the Street. 1975 Arista (LP). Mason is bumping against the perimeter of the type of music I really enjoy and keep. But the funk is too slick and friendly. I prefer a more raw sound. Mason's solo debut is better than Funk in a Mason Jar, but falls a few feet short of making the next round. (5/12)
Harvey Mason - Funk in a Mason Jar. 1977 Arista (LP). Clever title though a bit inaccurate. Light on funk and heavier on disco and smooth soul. It's not until A3 that my ears perk up. Guitarist Ray Parker brings out his inner Ernie Isley and Eddie Hazel. The album is filled with guests and this would be his sole cameo. Side 2 is better. The first two tracks have a nice smooth groove and B3 sounds more like the complex fusion of Return to Forever. Nice album but not an uncommon sound for 1977. (5/10)
Lifestyle - Katrina / Love Can Make You Cry. 1977 MCA (SP). Recently found two of these at a local thrift shop. 'Katrina' is a nice disco song with a sweet melody. The B) side is whiny soul and far away from my boundary. Got to let them both go. (2/15)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Freaky Styley. 1985 EMI Manhattan (MC). In the late 80s, when first hearing The Red Hot Chili Peppers, I thought they might be a band I could get into. It's still possible I might, but this is an earlier work and not considered a good one by fans of the band. It's as much rap as it is funk rock. But even the latter is lacking the groove and gravitas to pull it off. Sounds like a bunch of white junkies to me. (1/30)
* - Keeping for the collection
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