Reviews (page 2 of 8)
With a name like Shuggie, this should be better than it is.
Very good album to relax to.
I can't believe this is from the 70s. Definitely not my jam but I have to respect it.
Good, but it’s way too long. The album would either benefit from less tracks, shorter tracks (I do like what basically every track brings to the table), or just more freaking variety in the tracks. A lot of the tracks just meander and stick around one idea for a bit too long in my opinion. However, the sound Otis brings to the table is REALLY freaking good. It’s just like, all things in moderation, y’know?
Lush. Rich. Funky. Very nice.
Funky, varied and fun
Alright. Nothing special.
Skillful but not exciting at all.
I had not heard of this 70s singer songwriter before. This was lovely, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and like him Otis was a multi-instrumentalist playing most of the insturments on this album. Sounding folky, proggy, soulful and everything in between and is so relaxing.
This is a good album. It should have been his breakout moment but people looked at him as difficult because he didn’t want to tour or work with them which would lead to him getting dropped by his label. It’s too bad. He would continue to play with his dad and record his music. I think there’s more to the story. But these albums are good a Strawberry Letter 23 is a great song. He should have been bigger
surprised I kinda liked this? 2.75 1974 pop album
very groovy. not much else to say about it though.
Enjoyable 1970s soulful will listen again
Just beautiful. I have no more words to say. Wow.
very nice as background music for irk, not the best for playlist
Groovy, nice instrumentals. Not enough substance for me to love it though. A few enjoyable songs, but a lot of meh. Favorite: inspiration information or magic
Good zoning out music. Nice grooves but a little repetitive after a while.
Eg likte denne godt, ei plate eg nok vil gå attende til ved høve. Samstundes så vert det aldri dei store høgdane ved fyrste lytt, sjølv om eg syns plata vert meir og meir interessant utover. Det vert 3+, men mistenker at den kjapt er på fire om eg køyrer nokre rundar til.
Fy faen så bra det er når det er bra! En litt skummel setning når noen snakker om forholdet sitt, så kanskje det er litt faretruende når man snakker om et album også? For det er jo ikke så veldig bra når det ikke er helt på topp, heller.
Sjølsagt imponerande at han gjer alt sjølv, men før me konkluderar med Stevie/Prince-nivå her, har han låtmaterialet som trengst? Ja og tja. Nydeleg opningsstrekk, særleg tittelsporet. Likar stemma hans godt. Noko Bill Withersk over den. Rett på utan for mykje krussedull. Det har eg sans for. Bakoverlendte greier, funky men tar ikkje nett av. Instrumentalane som tar over midtvegs gir kanskje plata karakter, men dei gir også knollen min høve til tenka på andre ting. Strawberry letter 23 er feit, og den einaste eg har høyrt før. Positiv men litt betenkt. Sidan eg gav 7/10 til Talking heads får eg nøya meg med 6/10 her.
Et mer glatt album enn hva jeg har hørt tidligere fra fyren. Det mer utflytende preget den får utover i albumet er både litt uventet og bejaende. Vil tro jeg må høre mer på dette for å få det under huden. Kan like de spede disco-elementene.
Aldri hørt om og i allefall aldri hørt på før. Ligner vel litt på noe vi allerede har hørt på, i allefall på starten med så sklir det litt ut i ting som nesten høres litt sånn fruityloop demo aktig ut og da mister fyren meg, eller det blir feil å si for han vant meg aldri over. Håper på en godbit snart. To av fem.
Én gigantisk klassiker. Et par andre greie låter. En del uforståelig fyllstoff. Jeg forstår ikke hva Shuggie forsøker å få til her. Hvordan er det meningen at jeg skal lytte til denne plata? Det er litt som med Burzums Filosofem, for å sammenligne med noe helt annet hvor albumet også går i mange retninger. Jeg forstår jo likevel hva han grevefiguren tenkte, tror jeg. Shuggie forblir en gåte.
Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information Einig med Endre: Tittelsporet som opnar plata er knallbra. Den noko sløyare “Island Letter” som følgjer opp er óg veldig fin. Det er kanskje litt inspirasjon frå folk som Stevie Wonder og Sly Stone her, men etter kvart går plata over i ein litt for stor andel lounge-aktige greier som er behageleg nok, men ikkje så mykje meir. “XL-30” er ingen ny favoritt, til dømes. Har aldri høyrt denne tidlegare, så dette var jo ganske givande, men tar vel kun med meg eit par av songane på starten vidare på vegen. (Eg tok utgangspunkt i originalen og dei ni spora den har.) 6/10
hm, mediocre
ganz nett anzuhören
Chillige Tunes, chilliger Dude
A very cool album. Perfect for a summers day stroll.
Nur im Hintergrund gehört
Marvin Gaye if he was a bit boring. You hear elements of psychedelia buried in there, some feelgood/ska elements... but mainly it just passes as slightly underwhelming soul. (Soul without the soul, if you will.) Incredibly strange – the grooves should bop, but instead they fall ever so slightly flat. As another reviewer commented, "I feel like it overpromises and then underdelivers on the grooves." What I also notice is that the songs become significantly more digestible if you treat them as background noise rather than close-listening music. Plus, every song is genuinely pretty good in isolation. Per my own rules, I can't give this any less than 3 stars. Inspiration Information's title track, I guess, is pretty good on paper. And the guitar part shines through. It makes me feel a little sleepy listening to it, though. Is it the mix? The tired vocals? The problem becomes a little more apparent in Island Letter – the percussion and vocals are much too blurry and quiet – but the actual composed musical lines are solid. This would sound vastly better if performed by somebody other than Shuggie Otis. I do enjoy Sparkle City quite a bit, particularly the last couple of minutes, when it diverges into into slightly more experimental, bluesy melodies/harmonies. (Mainly making use of blue notes. It's the little things.) I'm positively clueless as to what's happening in Aht Uh Mi Hed – presumably there must be a good reason for all four words in the title being misspelled, but I can't place that reason. Another reasonably groovy one, and the introduction of a nice light acoustic guitar, though I can't help but feel it's still missing something. Perhaps ironically, the 76-second-long Happy House makes for the most sonically interesting track thus far. Brevity can be a virtue, as long as the track in question contains something that contributes anything musically to the album. (Hip-hop interludes, I'm looking at you.) Rainy Day, another relatively short song, is the first instrumental, and a pretty good one at that. Sort of anticipates lo-fi with that acoustic guitar sound. The strings are beautiful, too. I guess I was just hoping for something punchier after five consecutive "lightweight" songs. XL-30 and Pling! are much the same: pretty cool instrumentals when consumed in isolation (featuring some nifty melodies in the former, and great soft textures in the latter), but as part of the album sequence? Kind of underwhelming. Not Available, though, ends the album on a relatively punchy note. And it deserves all the praise in the world for that. This Otis guy finally figured out how to make his music just a smidge more exciting. (Worth mentioning that Strawberry Letter 23, Sweet Thang, Ice Cold Daydream, and Freedom Flight are not included on the original album release. Shame – Sweet Thang and Ice Cold Daydream are both excellent.) 3/5 Key tracks: Happy House, Not Available
Glad to have heard this one. But doesn't do it for me really
Shuggie eschews conventional pop melodies. Each track takes some unexpected turn -- just when I thought I knew where a song was going, Shuggie shifts direction. That's a great quality. "Inspiration Information" has a solid groove -- great choice for an opening track. It's interesting how in "Sparkle City" the vocal doesn't enter until two minutes into the song.
Yes Shuggie! Never heard of you before, but that was awesome. Great funky wah-wahs here and there. So cool and groovy. Sounded like he might have influenced Michael Kiwanuka to me. My only negative was the basic pre-programmed drum patterns on some tracks. One sounded like a preset Bossanova. It cheapened it for me. But still worth a mahoosive 4 stars and an add to my library.
I stuck this on blind while at work expecing a Stevie Wonder clone, instead i got more Sly Stone vibes. Happy with that. Nice gentle wah wah guitar, mellow songs, many underpinned with some sort of early drum machine which gave these songs a great hypnotic feel. I was lost in the music for forty minutes. That rarely happens with stuff I haven't heard before, and certainly not an early 70's record. The world, and this list never cease to surprise me.
Funky goodness
This was very good. It has a simple ease. I wish I feel as laid back at any point as Otis was when recording any of the tracks. This worked in spite of the drum machine, which sounds fine, but if there were a drummer that was playing with the same feel as the rest of the instruments, it would probably be even more amazing. Anyway, really liked this and will hopefully remember to listen to it more.
I don't know what this album is in terms of genre or purpose, but I can tell you I like it. I'll probably put this in my library ⭐⭐⭐.75
bit too mellow for me
Not my usual fare but it is SO CHILLED.
This definitely doesn't sound like a typical 70s soul album. It has a new feel that I'm still trying to process. Requires a second listen. 4 stars.
Height of 70s funky soul
6/10 some songs sound like one wayne g its good but not that good
Meh
Seems like it’s going somewhere then doesn’t. Kind of a let down. There’s clearly talent here.
Cool
No es malo, just kinda boring por momentos.
Why didn't anyone tell me about this?
Gem
Not much of interest here. The vocal songs are a bit more lively and hold your imagination, but the instrumental tracks really do wander off into floaty jazzy nothingness.
This album was a bit of a frustrating listen. I felt like it had a lot of the right ingredients to be really good, but it never quite came together. You could see where it was trying to go, but it ended up wandering aimlessly. The laid-back funky vibe was fun and the first few songs were pretty decent, especially the opener/title track, but the string of four instrumentals at the end didn’t do much for me. It felt considerably longer than its barely half-hour runtime. Just scrapes a low 3 stars on the strength of the early tracks.
You can just about hear the influence on Prince with the whole prodigy solo effort playing all the instruments thing. Although, I think it makes this feel a little bit restrained at times.
Very funky and chill, good listen
So great!!! Quite a bit of smooth filler but the rest was perfect !
Give me number three for now, there’s a bit too much filler in it for me. But I’d love to revisit it when I’m in a different mindset.
This was really good, I knew strawberry letter 23 and a few others but the guitar work and music is what makes it really memorable and exciting
Shuggle Otis is one of the greatest session musician, a real musician's musician kind of player. He did most of the instruments on this album, including using one of the earliest drum machines (very noticeable near the end of XL-30/beginning of Pling!). Easier to say what he didn't play: the horns, harp, and flute. Inspiration Information is the perfect blend of mellow and smooth with some funk distillate. Very good end-of-the-night album. You can almost never go wrong with session musician albums if you want to hear some top notch underrated music. Shuggle was too good for the big name musicians to ever neglect bringing him up. He's got soul
Not bad! 3.5/5
Was ok. Bit samey and overlong.
Strawberry Letter is a great track and the stand out. Really like Inspiration Information also however many of the tracks start well with a groove but just peter out and get a bit too laid back.
Inspiration Information As much as I love this album, it does have a slight sense of aimlessness over the back half, even over a short run time of 31 minutes, that possibly precludes it from being a top tier album, and on balance I think I marginally prefer Freedom Flight over this. Nevertheless it is still a great listen, an excellent miasma of soul, blues, psychedelia and jazz, particularly over Inspiration Information, Island Letter, Sparkle City, Aht Uh Mi Hed and Happy House. I love the percussion sound and the easy listening style organs that appear periodically amongst the guitars and his laid back easy going vocal delivery. It goes more into easy listening, but not in a completely appealing way on Rainy Day. And XL-30, Pling! And Not Available all feel a bit meandering in comparison to the first half, like soundtrack music looking for a film, giving it that slight sense of aimlessness. It’s never unenjoyable, and the whole thing is a great, easy listen, it just doesn’t quite make it to a 5 because it does tail off after Happy House. 4. ℹ️ℹ️ℹ️ℹ️ Playlist submission: Inspiration Information
Shuggie has a delicate, soulful feel to his voice. He's like a precursor to Prince in some ways, playing all the instruments, writing all the songs, gliding into falsetto, laid back (although not as vainglorious and mucky as Prince). The title track is excellent. One of the most developed tracks, with a confident groove. From there it moves to more minimalist, almost jam-like tracks, moving between laid-back to almost-comatose. I could keep listening to this and new parts emerge. It feels like it's treading its own path. I was really taken with it, and it just tips the scales.
pretty mid
silky grooves unwind no need to use those big words freedom flows from voice
Wasn’t a big fan of this
Again. Fine. Better than Megadeath.
Decent
3 stars
Not bad blues jazz one for the background but it had something in places
Very cool! His melodies remind me a lot of Stevie wonder. This is the perfect music for a summer evening. Fav tracks: Island Letter; Aht Uh Mi Hed; Special
Quite a variation!
Very good, and the 2013 edition is even better
Une belle découverte! L'ancêtre commun de Prince et Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
Y'a plein de reviews qui se plaignent que ça s'en va nulle part. Je vois pas pourquoi t'aurais besoin d'aller ailleurs quand t'es parfaitement dans zone comme ça. Prod de feu. 4.49 étoiles.
Comme du sly
This review isn't very difficult: at first, I wasn't sure what “psychedelic soul” or “psychedelic funk” was supposed to be, but it actually turns out to be self-explanatory: “Inspiration Information” by Shuggie Otis is a largely entertaining album, with most songs starting out soulful/funky and then transitioning to varying degrees into… well, psychedelic improvisations (or planned escapades - it’s hard to say for sure). It’s a great listen, but of course, the parts that give the album its name don’t really stick in your head. Shuggie Otis finds himself in a bit of a bind here, because it’s unlikely that either the funk/soul community or fans of extended improvisation will feel completely satisfied by it. Still, I actually like it. It’s not absolutely amazing, but it’s nice in a positive way.
Pretty mediocre early ‘70s soft rock. Second instrumental half has some okay jazziness on it but the production lacks the muscle to make it memorable.
I knew a few songs from his other album, so this was nice to hear. Just a great vibe, perfect to listen to a while cooking.
Kinda gets lost in dull instrumentation town in the middle of album, but it manages to find its way again by the end. Some nice funky guitar, but nothing mindblowing.
Auditory ambien and not in any good way
This did not do it for me at all.
Not a single bad song. Island Letter perfectly captures the feeling of being abroad in a tropical country. Very listenable. 7/10
A pretty good vibe with some excellent stand out tracks, but the rest got a bit boring. I can't seem to find the version with the 2001 remaster bonus tracks anywhere but Spotify, but those are a pretty nice addition but I wish they were a replacement for some of the original tracks as it made the album a bit too long for me.
"Lazy genius" — that's Shuggie Otis. At twelve, he first hit the R&B charts; at fifteen, he was tipped to be the next Jimi Hendrix; at nineteen (!), he turned down (!!) The Rolling Stones' offer of a guitarist; at twenty, he released this album. And the album is good! It's a calm, pleasant funk, a precursor to acid funk, very similar to the music now being made by Jamiroquai and (at a slightly faster tempo) Parcels. Towards the end, this funk actually takes on a trip-hop feel. However, the album flopped, the label terminated its contract with the artist, and Shuggie looked on it and thought, "I'm fine as it is!" And for many years, he worked as a session musician. He only released his next album in 2018. In 2001, David Byrne's label reissued Inspiration Information, adding four tracks from the previous album. This version is now available for streaming.
Little known gem.
Nice music while cooking. I liked it.
Really enjoyed this! This is one I have kept returning to after discovering it on day 97. A total gem. High 4.
Pretty good
Notable Textzeile: You making me happier Now I am snappier While I'm with you Zwei mal gehört und trotzdem ist es an mir vorbei gerauscht. Nicht auf eine unangenehme Art, aber auch ohne zu resonieren. Ein ganz netter Fund, hätte in der Plattensammlung meines Vaters mit den ganzen "großen" Gitarristen der 70er sein können. Ist es aber nicht und daher auch keine autobiographischer Ankünpfungspunkt. Ich bin einfach kein Instrumentalmensch.
Underground early electronic RnB? Geht so!
Habe die Melodien und Beats vermutlich hunderte Male gesampelt in diversen Rap Songs gehört. Besonders ist mit dir "Liebeslied" Melodie der Beginner in Aht Ui Mi Head aufgefallen. Mag sowas und die Songs werden zurecht gesampelt, auch im Original sehr coole Arrangements, gerade dann mit Stimme und Instrumentals.
good soul songs on this, very good
3.25
So not my jam...yawn.
Has merit
My pulse rate hovered around 35 bpm for this entire album. Cool that he played almost all the instruments. That's about it.
So boring that I forgot that I was listening to it while it was playing (more than once)
This was great! I was familiar with “Strawberry Letter 23” but didn’t investigate further. I didn’t expect so many instrumental tracks. 70s groovyness and a new favourite.
Classic.
It was very unusual. I really liked some of the songs: they had a bluesy, rhythmic feel, with a great voice and singing technique. Other songs seemed strange or even completely out of place on this album. But overall, listening to it wasn’t boring. Usually, when I listen to a solo artist, the songs are almost always monotonous, and the album consists of tracks that all sound the same. So I’m glad this album really stands out.
There are some points where it sounds like this album is going somewhere, then it doesn't. A flash of a groove, then it's gone. Turn up the funk, turn down the jazz and soul, and this could be really good.
Very pleasant vibes on this album. Totally dig it. Keeping it at a 3 but it doesn’t surprise me enough.
I love the 1001 Albums Generator website for albums like this: I’d honestly never heard of Shuggie Otis before, let alone knew of the existence of his third (and, for a long time, final) album, "Inspiration Information". Wikipedia describes the style as “progressive soul”, and indeed, it’s fantastic music that combines the groove and accessibility of soul with the complexity of progressive rock. I can well imagine why the album went largely unnoticed in 1974: it simply didn’t fit the stereotype of black music and was far too sophisticated for the pop-oriented R&B crowd. But it’s also immediately obvious why the multi-instrumentalist Otis had such an immense influence on the young Prince, who was to make a name for himself a few years later with a similar concept (and much more commercial tracks). The comparison with Stevie Wonder (who was working on the masterpiece "Songs in the Key of Life" at the time) isn’t too far-fetched either, but of course, he didn't have neither the resources nor the experience of Stevie Wonder. It would have been very interesting to see what else Otis might have produced after this album, but instead he largely withdrew from the stage (and the studio) as a solo artist and produced music only for his own collection. Some of this material was eventually released many decades later following its rediscovery. It was too late for a global career, but the album impressively demonstrates a singular talent that was lost in the grind of the record industry.
Psychedelic soul, 70's prince - played all instruments/produced
This is groovy. But nothing that blew my mind.
How would you describe this ? Smooth a little funky but quite boring
Pretty cool
Nothing wowed me
Clearly talented, but just didn’t vibe with it.
I had no idea who this was, or what this album was about. What a great discovery! Funky, groovy, soulful... and over 50 years since its release? C'mon! This is why this list exists.
Different but quite enjoyable
really interesting and exploratory album.i remember some sampled sounds here and what makes it so interesting is how it doesn't care on maintaining a similar form on all of the songs, giving space to some songs without lyrics. And despite that, it has certain mood and cohesion. i can say, a nice background album. not an insult, a really nice album to chill
Funky background music, it stands out a lot from similar albums on this list. It's consistently groovy, and it doesn't feel like that long. Sweet.
Wow, this is a beautiful, soulful album from an artist that I had never heard of. Definitely one of the good surprises from the list. The arrangements are funky, with interesting textures and rhythms. I really enjoyed this!
found it really hard to focus on this album, can’t remember a single thing about it
Parliament on prosaic. Funk soul jazz at a laid back pace .
a looooot of potential here
Probably one of the top-10 brand-new-to-me albums I've heard through this project. Everything well-written, well-placed, and I can't find anything to complain about besides not knowing of Shuggie Otis sooner.
Wow! This is such a wild album. It truly answers the (unasked?) question "What if someone produced an entire soul album on their Grandma's home organ?" I know that sounds like an insult, but it's not. This album SMOKES. Strong on the soul and the funk. A little psychedelia thrown in there too. This just throws off great vibes.
Familiar yet novel, soulful without being sappy, jazzy and rocking, this is the aural equivalent of a cozy sweater on a lazy Sunday morning. You can hear the influence this had on Michael Kiwanuka, Lenny Kravitz, and Prince.
Nice, chilled out, but could offer more Fave track: Strawberry Letter 23
The vocal sections are surprisingly sparing for someone with such a great voice. 3.5/5
I didn't recognize the artist or album title, but I did recognize a few tunes, presumably from the classic rock station of my youth.
Correcto
Three-leaning-four
Love this album, it’s laid back, funky, meandering, unfocused, but slinky and cool. Great guitar playing too. Some of the tracks are aimless, but for whatever reason I’m happy to jam to them all the same.
muy drogado
now I know where Jamiroquai got his sound.
This was a nice groovy, funky listen. A tad long, but enjoyable. 4/5
He’s so groovy
Real smooth.
Not much to say on this one. Its fine old rnb or soul or something of that ilk. Just doesnt do too much for me. I enjoyed it well enough while on but just didnt get into it much. No saves and no care I guess. Good enough is all I got here
Good piece of music. Something id listen to again. Maybe as background music though. Its not strong enough to excite me, but it's good enough to own
Vibes music
First time listen, and the first new album I’ve listened to for this project that feels like a classic that will become part of the regular rotation. The title track I’ve heard before and is unimpeachable, and while the rest of the album doesn’t hit that high, the rest of the album’s mixture of instrumentals and soulful tunes is still consistently appealing. Standout moment: The pleasant, shambling shuffle of the instrumental Pling!
Very cool. Lots of beautiful 70s production on top of great performances. Ambitious and yet chill. Great atmosphere throughout. Just a really pleasing listen with a lot of hidden complexity seemingly going on
hmm i liked wld listen again
I thought I'd never heard a Shuggie Otis song until Strawberry Letter 23 came on and I got Jackie Brown flashbacks. Shuggie should have let Quincy Jones produce that in the first place!
I wish I listened to this growing up so the nostalgia could make it hit twice as hard
Super
Smooth soul/funk. The instrumentation is pretty decent Sparkle City sounds like it could have been a Prince track a decade later (with some extra punch). Aht Uh Mi Hed has a nice folksy psychedlia side too Happy House also has an eclectic energy, with semi-spoken on the funky background. Really reminding me of Prince. Then a few very laid back instrumentals.. Freedom City has a jazzy feel with the improv and freeform sections Yeah then it kind of peters out.. Best track - Sparkle City, Aht Uh Mi Hed, Not Available 3 stars - there are some 4 star moments here but it just loses momentum and focus
Haven't heard of him before so I didn't have any expectations. Pleasantly surprised! Some nice groovy tunes. Not spectacular but quite cool 3/5
Good album but not really a life changing one. Easy listening funk infused that gives it a 70 vibe but didnt age well the time line
Probably a new fav
3.5
Fav song: Freedom Flight
This was okay. Not something memorable for me personally.
Never heard of Shuggie Otis before. Thoroughly enjoyed this album.
pleasantville
Totally washed over me I’m afraid
It was iight, I quite liked Aht Uh Mi Hed but a lot of the rest of it all blended into one 3
There is nothing really wrong with this music. Just heard it before and better. Guess I got bored.
like this a lot feels like thunder cat was inspired by this
3.6 Torn whether I should be marking this lower, as what tipped the balance were the final 4 tracks on Spotify, that appear to be not on the original album but instead a 'best of' from his first album? Wild. Anyway, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Super chill vibes, original album suffers from maybe too many instrumentals towards the end, feels like he kind of ran out of ideas of lyrics. Strawberry letter 23 is a banger though, can't believe someone else covered it almost note for note and made it a smash hit. I'd be livid if it wasn't for the royalties.
This is a solid album with a great mood. The music (especially the bass work) is outstanding and soulful. Pretty unique without going off the rails. Nice record.
Fine but unnotable
Very funky. An unknown gem.
Funky, little psychedelic, fun listen!
A cozy, funky and short album that starts fairly straightforward and ends with more conceptual and experimental jams.
Decent
ничего особенного
J'ai adoré le dernier son "Freedom Flight". Le reste est très sympa mais jsp pas plus que 3 pour moi. Je me le suis pas vraiment pris
Lush lush lush stuff from one of the best. What an epic album closer aswell. Sometimes this sort of music can get a bit lost on me in all honesty, but this kept me engaged. 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Freedom Flight
The fact this isn't a well known, vital part of the music canon in the eyes of the masses (a la Jimi Hendrix) is a damn mystery. These songs are not only beautiful but also decades ahead of its time. This sounds like it honestly could have came out yesterday. I'm just awe struck by how great this album is, not even a fraction of a second is wasted and when it finishes you demand more. Thank goodness spotify only has the album paired with another album. Shuggie is a goddamn genius
First listen
I wouldn't have said I was particularly into funk but this guy is a hell of a guitarist, the grooves are smooth and it's just effortlessly cool throughout. Can definitely see myself listening to this again, plenty.
616/1001 2026.05.18 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
It's a good album. Never truly understood the hype.
funky. jazzy. bluesy. rocky. all great.
A low-key funk/jazz/R&B fusion album; sorta sounded like if Herbie Hancock was very sleepy. It was a mostly enjoyable listen, only one track that I didn’t like. At times the sound was quite inventive. The album as a whole was really smooth, easy listening, and groovy fun on a couple songs, too! I’ll give it a low 4/5, there was too much that I liked to keep it at a 3.
I think the hype got a bit bigger than the sound with this one. Shuggie is interesting, but he can’t hold a candle to Stevie or Marvin.
Really chill, kinda perfect as background music and a headache soother.
"Lazy Sunday" experimental soul funk. Standouts are Sparkle City, Happy House, and Aht Uh Mi Hed. The drum machine, which was a new novelty back in 1974, contributes to the quirky sound on this one. A similar mid/slow tempo shared by the songs on this record contribute to its laid-back chill groove, making it a good album to have on in the background.
a nice 70's rock/blues album. Fun listen - brought me back to the times...
Liked it immediately. Can't believe I never heard it. Will be on my regular rotation.
Feels VERY 70s
5 stars
Surprisingly really pleasant, I expected some dad rock stuff, but it had this nice blues-y feel to it.
The whole vibe of this is just so good. I wish when I was 23 I was this cool.
pretty nice
Yeah I remember this one.
Pleasant to listen to but not a lot of stand outs.
7/10… psychedelic soul / p-funk / *1974
🙂
Cool, laid back and jazzy... Z without being self-absorbed or cheezy
I went into this only knowing Strawberry Letter 23, but I love the rest of it. It's a really forward thinking sound - I can see why it was sampled by several more modern artists. Or do I have that backwards? Maybe I just likening because it has similar vibes to modern music I like. Either way, it's a great album to me. Not completely perfect, as some of the songs are a bit forgettable. The last 4 songs are some of my favourites, but they are bonus tracks. So maybe I should discount them from my rating.
Start of the album I liked a lot. Got weird later on.
Ugh, it was okay, not unpleasant or anything but nothing really caught my attention for some reason. Maybe one day i’ll give it another try, because I do usually like something like that.
3.5/5
Det va trivelig! Æ vet ikke ka æ hadde venta, men æ likte det.
This is cool. The sound morphs from Hendrix, Stevie and obviously/perhaps influenced people like Kiwanuka and Thunder at. A very confident album and great to hear a song I know so well from the Jackie Brown soundtrack but hasn't explored further. Further digging shows this guy is a sample treasure trove, if you know, you know, I guess. These are the days the list delivers.
Good listening. Didn't catch me enough for 4/5 though, but nearly.
IT was fun
This was fine, too long though
It’s pleasant and listenable but it kind of washed over me without leaving a big impression
Couldn't get it to play
Wow, never heard of him but this was quite good! A bit slow towards the end but it’s absolutely something I’d listen to again, particularly if I was in the mood for something bouncy but chill. It started autoplaying another of his albums after. Liked it too.
Funky and fun. Jazzy and easy to bop along to. I had another jazzy/funky album yesterday (The Crusaders), but I preferred this one!
The tracks with vocals are pretty OK, the instrumentals grate on me, especially the ones where the electric organ is the main sound. The final track was a bit like Fleetwood Mac's Albatross, which was cool.
Funky what I call pre disco, disco beats. Not really my thing, or thang. Not awful by any means. 2.25. No decimals, so 2 it is.
Enjoyed this very smooth and funky
Enjoyed listening to this.
A tale of two halves. First half is excellent, the title track especially. But the second half falls into this disjointed collection of instrumentals
tinha potencial mas perdeu a linha ali no meio do caminho, de fato apenas deus e o pessoal no estúdio saberiam nos falar como que os cara pegaram um negócio que tava fluindo e fizeram isso ai
oficialmente o album da metade do desafio hein começou bem, mas me perdeu um pouco na segunda metade. mas não eh ruim nao, eh bem bacana e tem potencial!
I had no idea what this was or who this was before pressing play. Its stuff like this that keeps me going through the list. Just pure 70's soul and funk from top to bottom. Not much else to say, it scratches an itch I didnt know I had. It does run a bit long in the tooth for me overall, but its still very enjoyable. a 4.5 if I could, but closer to 5 than a 4.
I love this album. The opening track has floated in and out of my life forever. Best cover of Strawberry Letter 23. The whole thing is funky and soulful and just full of bops
Meh
Never heard of him before, starts strong. Funky dense cool, futuristic, modern. I like it. 4 Heard before? No Owned: No: 68/278 (24%) Will I get: Maybe
Highlights: Inspiration Information, Island Letter, Sparkle City, Aht Uh Mi Hed A decent, smooth and calm funk record. First half was very good, with some sources comparing it to acts that would only emerge 20 years later. I beg to differ a bit, since I don't find it to be crazy revolutionary. There's a lot of similar material from that period. The second half, which is mostly instrumentals was ok, but nothing worth pointing out. Overall it was a nice record but my belief is that it's on this list only because David Bryne rereleased it through his label, thereby exposing it to his critic lobby.
Cool album. It's not my favorite music style, but it was very easy to listen to.
I don’t really have much to say about this other than it was good and I liked it. It didn’t blow me away, but it was a good album. I guess I don’t really know what to make of Shuggie Otis. Was he trying to be a prominent guitar figure, an R&B singer, or just an another funk musician? I guess he sort of combines those things but not in a way where any of them stand out.
Started of strong and then it lost me in the second half.
really nice, cute and chill album, liked it!
A more an unusual take on 60/70s soul, an enjoyable listen 4*
Nice, groovy, easy listening. Probably not something I'll return to, but I enjoyed it.
When to listen: funky party background. The few Shuggie Otis songs I knew I loved, and it was fun to add to the repertoire. I think the album is creative, consistent, and a nice smooth listen.
This is more soft jazz than anything else. Very enjoyable listen, even if it doesn't really stick with you. 3.5/5.0: Very Good
really expected to like this more than i did. it had a lot of potential to be a good funk album leaned way to heavily into the soul aspect for my taste
Surprising and interesting. A couple of duds stylistically but overall really good. Great guitar work.
8.5/10
First track was extremely promising but the energy fell off after that despite some high points instrumentally.
Jeg liker dette på mange måter veldig godt, men ligger hele tiden bare og runker i bakgrunnen i stedet for å engasjere.
Ikke så mye inspirasjon eller informasjon. Syns tittelsporet lovet veldig bra, men så gikk det over i helt ålreit smørsang på de to neste låtene. "Aht Uh Mi Hed" likte jeg godt nok til å legge i en liste, mens resten av plata er bare litt testing av Yamaha stueorgel? Synd "Strawberry Letter 23" ikke er med på originalplata.
sehr angenehm zu hören. perfekte mischung aus groovy und entspannt.
My enjoyment of this album may have been hindered by the fact that I listened to it on my commute to work, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I don't know what it is about this week. I have just been extraordinarily tired on my drive to work the last few days. I regret to inform Mr. Shuggie Otis that I heard his (admittedly cute) album under these circumstances. But I found it just a bit too soft for me. Soft like a cold pillow. A pillow I could rest my head on and close my eyes. I just wanted to drift into slumberland and drive my car into a ditch.
Listening session: april 22nd, while commuting to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: groovy, cool, relaxed and interesting. And the guy’s got a great artist name as well! This album is a nice gem to have discovered with this project Favourite tracks: Inspiration Information, Island Letter & Strawberry Letter 23
A beautiful album. This would be great for studying or learning\work tasks in the background. The lack of strident or heavy vocals lets my mind zone out and enjoy. Not incredibly engaging, but lovely. This would be great music to have on as the first music at a party when everyone is chatting and getting to know each other. That said, listening is not a WOW moment for me.
Cool and groovy, not super interesting.
Probably good music for making babies but I'm shooting blanks. Good background music but never really got me going. Some of it is muzak.
Strong opening that tapers out to a weak finish. It's no Freedom Flight, but there's a few songs worth your time.
No, no, no
Just about a three.
Slick as hell. I loved listening to this.
Shuggie Otis is smooth as fuck. Back half is all instrumental songs to vibe to but doesn't hit as much for me as the first half
Never heard of him and didn't know what to expect going into this album, but I really enjoyed it. I'll check out more of his stuff.
That's a funny one. It's a pretty good album interspersed with some more experimental tracks, making the album appeal to a more general crowd with easy listening stuff, as well as appealing to more experimental listeners. I think in this case it works in their favour, and makes the album less boring and more interesting.
2.5
3.5
3.5
I really enjoyed the vocal tracks of side one. Kind of a funkified Withers. The instrumental side didn't do much for me. (7.3) ★★★½ The bonus tracks I liked more than the album, all of which came from his previous Lp, which leads me to wonder, why this album and not *Freedom Flight*
Very boring 70s soul. 2.5 stars
Kinda lukewarm on this. Not a style I really gravitate toward. 3 stars.
3.5
No Shuggie. I don’t like Shuggie noogies and I don’t like their Shuggie boogie music with their porch noogie boring background Shuggie beats. No Shuggie noogies on this list. … or that’s what I would be saying if I was Grumpy Boogie. Aht Uh Mi Hed is a good tune and Strawberry Letter 23 is very sweet and synthilicious even if it isn’t actually on the original album.
I've been giving a lot of 4s recently but Strawberry Letter 23 lifted this from a 3.5
The more upbeat songs were great. I did enjoy it but I felt it could be better.
No private session used for Spotify. Wasn't sure what I was getting in to, but I was impressed by Shuggie's versatility. There were some quite enjoyable tracks on this, but again, it's the different styles and instruments that was the main pull.
quite funky
A nice change from the monotonous collection of too many mediocre album on this list. I don't really think that it is important whether one likes this album or not, but at least it is something different and stands out. High quality musicians and more complex compositions give this a 4 for me even if I don't particularly like the songs. I would rather put on a good jazz album - but that is a matter of taste.
Groovy and strong start. But then never goes anywhere. Mid since it did have some decent sounds on the front end.
This is good. Second half feels like instrumental filler but overall a good album.
Bland and boring. Just not for me.
Didn't listen to it all the way. I'm not into funk or 70s music too much, and this was not remarkable enough for me to care.
Chill backgroung
2026.04.22.
Jazzy with one tune I remember from my childhood
I thought the album was very listenable.
Beautiful and groovy and so very Spencer coded
Almost put me to sleep in a good way
I had a few of these songs saved but all together they were perfect. One of my fav albums we’ve had so far
I'm always very impressed when someone plays most/all instruments on their albums. On top of that, to have such nice grooves and perfect vocals is insane. Why wasn't he more popular?? Possibly my fav album I've never heard so far
I won't call it aimless nor directionless. This is a superb album. The blending of jazz, r&b, funk and elements of psychadelia is truly a fascinating period of time with some of the best albums known to man. Purely organic instrumentation, analog recording techniques and a pure, free and creative environment created works like this from all accross the land. This album in particular is weaker than other because it embodies a more chill vibe. Not quite psychedelic, but almost intensive. Contemplative. Mediative. For that I love it. Do I wish it had a bit more substance. Maybe, but even then. If I were alive in '74 and I heard this along the same parallel as Pink Floyd. I'd be happy as a clam.
the peril of not writing out notes while listening and then forgetting to rate for a while
Preferred the songs with vocals to instrumental only but not for me
Jeg synes sgu det er ret fedt. 3,7
Det var meget godt, gode lyde på guitar, synes også kompositionen var fin på det meste. Forstår mig ikke rigtig på genren, men det lyder godt, tror også det lyder bedre end det gennemsnitlige RnB/whatever genre det er. Tænker en 3.1-agtigt
Syntes egentligt, at det var lidt kedeligt. Noget af det godt, noget af det henslæbt og langtrukkent med lidt for meget plingeling og antal minutter 2.6
I'm a sucker for anything with the CR78. I think that's what that drum machine was. This was just okay. I don't know anything about Shuggie Otis and I try not to look anything up beforehand to bias my listening. I listened in my car again this time on my drive to and from work so crappy car stereo may definitely have been at play. There was something notably different about this album that gave it almost a lower fidelity hypnagogic quality to the recording. I'm really reaching for notable things to say about it, I don't know if I will put it on again but maybe I'll read more into what was going on here. There might be a better album for me in his discography.
3.5/5
I love this album. Like the Tom Tom Club, it just sounds like this was the album he wanted to make and he didn't give a shit what sold or what other people's music sounded like.
5/10
5/10 The first few tracks show real promise: the title track has aged beautifully with its slappy synths and groovy guitar licks, and Aht Uh Mi Hed is genuinely creative with its spooky church organs that dissolve right as the lyrics call for something new. Sparkle City is funky and cool but, like a few tracks here, it hovers without ever really going anywhere. The back half loses steam fast. XL-30 feels like it wandered in from a different album entirely, and tracks like Pling! and Not Available are forgettable background filler. The bonus tracks don't add much either, aside from Freedom Flight which builds beautifully from a delicate guitar intro into a sax-driven payoff. Best track: Aht Uh Mi Hed Will I revisit?: No
Funky and interesting at times, but also a bit boring at times Standout songs: Sparkle City Ice Cold Daydream
Meandering, aimless and ultimately random sounding. You can tell this is a solo effort: With a band, you are forced to get to the point instead of indulging your own idiosyncracies. On a positive note, I like the sound and vibe of those 70s drum machines.
Solid 7 5
Meh... Lo puse mientras hacía otras cosas y no llamo mi atención. De fondo mientras juego a la play funciona, pero no lo escucharía de nuevo.
Enjoyed!!! Will listen again
Jazzy R&B bar blues by Johnny Otis son.
Funky, groovy, I’m conflicted about the 13 minute long song but I enjoyed this far more than I didn’t.
well, it's no catastrophe. just nothing i intend to listen on a regular basis...
This album was the jam.
3/10
Smooth and easy listening with a little bit of funk. Not bad, but gets boring after a while
I didn‘t know I knew his music! Beautiful, soulful and loooved the instrumentals!
Album #53, Shuggie Otis, Inspiration Information ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Super unique summer album. I’d never heard of Shuggy Otis, but I spent the morning reading about him, and yeah, what a crazy “what could have been” story. He essentially stopped making music after this album, which was his third, but he also could have ended up being one of The Rolling Stones. Mad stuff. This is a really unique, strange album that seems really ahead of its time. It’s a mix of different genres, in particular R&B and soul, but blended with jazz, funk and psychedelia. The presence of the drum machine just makes it feel a lot more modern as well. What’s really interesting is how all these different melodic lines appear in the songs, and they just kind of drift off into different areas, most of the time really beautiful ones. It’s really well produced and just very, very interesting overall. If I had any criticisms, I’d say it can feel a little bit aimless at times, but that’s just the style. It’s not a particularly focused record, but I think that kind of suits it. My other reservation would be that he’s not a particularly strong lyricist, even though he’s a very good singer. The lyrics can be quite basic, but interestingly, as the album goes on, he sings less and less, so that sort of balances out. Even as an instrumental-heavy album, it really works because of the choices in instrumentation. So yeah, really interesting record. I’ll definitely listen to it again.
TOO LONG!!!
I love ya Mr. Otis!
Like it 3/5
Im not a big fan of R&B or Soul so I dont expect much. It sounds prety chill but nothing special honestly. I could have lived without hearing it. It sounds like hes trying to speedrun his album in the second half.. did he had not wnough time to make it ?
FUNKY!!
short n sweet. this studio sound is so simple and fantastic.
felt very inessential, albeit also very listenable
Some really good songs, but some are also so forgettable. And the best songs are not even part of the original version of the album.
Strawberry Letter 23 har jeg hørt til ukendelighed i en anden version, og den kom bag på mig at den er her fra. Tak til Pretty lights for at introducere så meget musik for mig, som jeg først fatter længe efter.
Psych-funk med en heftig slap-bass
Goeie werk vibe
Probably one of the most deserving albums on this list. Its an absolute swinger of an album with great tracks and tunes, even though the first and the last are a bit long imo, it does not take away from the masterfull use of instrumentals and lycrism. HARD recommend from me, and if u disagree, get fucked
I know a few Shuggie songs but had never done a full listen and really enjoyed this. Technically this album ends after "Not Available" but they added some hits in a re-release. Without the extra tracks, namely Strawberry Letter, its a very odd collection of songs. A couple well written songs and then some jazz/funk instrumental jams. Its probably a 4/5 but I'm really vibing with the oddness of Shuggie. Strange name, strange arrangements, sounds like hes recording these in secret in his basement. Hits some really nice highs and the low key tracks are lovely for any occasion. A mood brightener. Reminds me of Prince a bit.
New to me - love the one man band bedroom recording vibe. A little chaotic but really works. Gotta come back to this. Those bonus tracks are great too - Freedom Flight is a nice groove. This guy is clearly just unbelievably talented.
Easy listening funk, soft funk, soul funk, I don't know. I liked it, but I prefer funk with a harder edge. Make my funk the P. Funk. Definitely not a bad album, but I don't think anything here will be making my funk rotation.