Artist: Isaac Hayes
Album: Hot Buttered Soul
Year: 1969
Soul has not been my favorite genre here, but here's an album that REALLY works. Hayes is a great, sensual singer, and this material suits his voice so well. It's a big, bombastic, excessive album...which under different circumstances might be a list of negative qualities, but I have to say that this album totally clicked for me.
The opener "Walk on By" was oddly familiar to me, and I quickly recognized that this was the track Portishead sampled on "All Mine." Nice. Normally a 12-minute soul track would be like torture for me, but this one hit a really nice hypnotic groove and Hayes fills in the rest with his deep croon.
The second and third tracks follow a similar formula, with equally solid results. The fourth and final track, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was definitely the most experimental cut here, an extended groove with mostly spoken word vocals comprising its running length. I did not care for this one as much. Just a hair too excessive for my taste.
I definitely liked my first round of Isaac Hayes and I can see why he developed the reputation he did. I look forward to more of his records finding their way into the 1001 here.
Rating: Worth repeated listens
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