Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Canción destacada: Aht Uh Mi Hed
Groovy I like
Fun basslines, but wasn't too interesting otherwise for me.
So groovy and fun. I forgot how much I enjoyed Shuggie's music. This is the first record I've listened to of his in its entirety and I was not disappointed. The soul and rhythm that's conveyed by Shuggie and his band is so capturing. Really enjoyed this record.
Great album. Grooves from start to finish.
Don’t know that I will ever listen to the rerelease version that doubles the runtime, but I really enjoyed this. Mellow at times, funky at others. A good listen.
Meh, me gustó la primera canción
1. information - 1 2. izland - 2 3. zparkle - 1 4. hed - 1.5 5. happy - 0 6. rainy - 2 7. 30 - 0 8. pling - 1 9. available - 1.5 10. letter - 1 11. thang - 2 12. ice - 1 13. flight - 2
I actually liked this better than Marvin Gaye. Just because the instrumentals were more interesting. Nice album for a long drive but did get repetitive ultimately
2.5 — listened on an airplane stressed out and It felt like I kept waiting for it to get to the good part
Pleasant.
Das dritte Studioalbum des amerikanischen Musikers Shuggie Otis, veröffentlicht 1974. Otis, ein Gitarrist und Songwriter, wuchs in Los Angeles auf und stammt aus einer musikalischen Familie. Der Einfluss von Künstlern wie Jimi Hendrix und Sly Stone ist in seinem Werk deutlich spürbar. Das Album wurde überwiegend im Clover Recorders Studio in Los Angeles aufgenommen. Das Werk zeichnet sich durch eine Mischung aus Funk, Soul, Blues und psychedelischem Rock aus, die zu dieser Zeit nicht sehr häufig anzutreffen war. Zu den herausragenden Songs gehören „Aht Uh Mi Hed“, das mit seinem entspannenden, fast meditativem Groove und Otis' virtuosem Gitarrenspiel aufhorchen lässt, und „Inspiration Information“, der Titelsong des Albums, der eine komplexe, mehrschichtige Struktur bietet. Weitere bemerkenswerte Stücke sind „Island Letter“ und „Sweet Thang“. Das Album ist ein gutes Beispiel für Otis’ Vielseitigkeit und seine Fähigkeit, unterschiedliche Genres miteinander zu verschmelzen. Obwohl das Album zu seiner Zeit nicht den kommerziellen Erfolg erzielte, hat es sich im Laufe der Jahre zu einem Klassiker entwickelt, der vor allem in späteren Jahren von Musikliebhabern und Kritikern geschätzt wurde. Inspiration Information ist ein facettenreiches Album, das vor allem durch seine atmosphärische Dichte und die außergewöhnliche Gitarrenarbeit von Shuggie Otis besticht. Es vereint eine Vielzahl von musikalischen Stilen und bietet einen Einblick in Otis’ kreative Bandbreite. Ein Album für Freunde des experimentellen Soul und Funk, das nicht nur musikalische Tiefe hat, sondern auch die Bandbreite des Genres erweitert.
Was ok
inspiration information- 6 island letter- 5 sparkle city- 6 aht uh mi hed- 5 happy house- 5 rainy day- 6 xl 30- 5 or 6 pling- 5 not available- 5
Incredible performance, underrated masterpiece. One of the best.
Really good stuff, sometimes funky sometimes laid-back, always tasteful. 4
Another great album. Listened through this a few a times a couple of years ago. Three tracks (Inspitation Information, Aht Uh Me Hed, Strawberry Letter 23) on the album remained in constant rotation for most of the year afterwards. I Remember this as being psychedelic and colourful while remaining grounded. Look forward to a revisit. Inspiration Information Extremely cool and funky. Great bass playing. The switchup for the chorus is delightful. I really like the back and forth between the sharper and smoother vocals. The guitar adds great rhythm. Great summer song. Underrated guitar solo. I do think the song is mixed really well. Fantastic. 5/5 Island Letter Deep and crunchy bass. Soothing psychedelia. Colourful and bright. The vocals never overshadow the instrumentation. Final instrumental part spanning the final 2 minutes of the song lifts it to a level above. All the instruments sound great individually as well as in tandem. Fantastic. 5/5 Sparkle City Great buildup into the instrumental. Amazing bass tone. Solid rhythm. Rich and powerful, takes its time. Lyrics paint a detailed picture of a late night cityscape. Great use of brass instruments. His voice isn't mindblowing, but I still think it works well for the style of music. The bass is just stunning. 5/5 Aht Uh Me Hed A moodier track. Instrumentally super catchy. Rhythm is great. The additional instrumentation is lush and beautiful. The switchup is super catchy. The keyboard line is just so catchy. Psychedellic. Scratches that itch perfectly. Amazing. 5/5. Happy House Tight. Sounds effortless. The keys are magical. Lushly produced. It being too short is my only complaint. 4.5/5 Rainy Day Jazzy. Very fitting name, sounds like a rainy day. Incredibly soulful guitar. A little psychedelic disruption adds an extra element to the song. Great. 4.5/5 XL-30 An early use of electronics. It's an interesting experiment. I enjoy the background licks and keyboard lines. Sounds a bit dated. Found it interesting. 4/5 Pling! The effect on the keys give it an almost ambient feel. While the drum-machine's mechanical rhythm give the ears something to catch onto. And while subtle the bass sound is the real star. Calming, meditative. An ocean of sound. The subtle saxophone adds a lot with just a few notes. Ahead of its time. 5/5 Not Available Back at it with a combination of a fantastically catchy duo of bass and guitar. Interesting structure. The addition of disco elements make for an interesting closer. Solid ending. 4.5/5 Bonus tracks. All of them are exerpts from Shuggie's previous album 'Freedom Flight' which is also a great listening experience in its own right. I'll rank them below, though their rating won't affect the album's final rating, even if I'm pretty sure it won't matter much. Strawberry Letter 23. Classic. While the cover is probably more well known I still maintain this as the superior track. I think it's produced immaculately, and extremely catchy. Fantastic verse structure. Lush and soulful chorus. Explodes into great psychedelia, with an almost hypnotic instrumental passage. Fantastic. 5/5 Sweet Thang Just effortlessly cool. Bold, psychedelic weird. All the instruments are doing something interesting at any time. The additon of the vocals ground the chaos. Experimental in a way. Well performed. Evokes a warm summer evening. Fantastic. 5/5 Ice Cold Day Dream Fun tempo. Marvelous bass performance. The organ is also a highlight. The vocals on the chorus are a bit weak. The panning effect sounds a bit dated, but in a charming way. I think it's structured well around the guitar. Great. 4/5 Freedom Flight Soulful, I enjoy the sparseness it starts of with. Slowly adding new sounds and building on the what I can only imagine is a mostly improvised guitar track. The psychedellic jazz elements create a vivid sonic landscape further enhanced by how the track is mixed. I find the way it grows and builds upon itself very stimulating. The bass towards the end is just enchanting. The length does not bother me one bit. Fantastic track. 5/5 Hilariously underrated artist. There's just so much talent there. From the songwriting to the mastery of several instruments, to the use of electronics. Absolutely fantastic record with loads of highlights throughout. I think everything here works to create an approachable but deep and stimulating record full of colour and life. Really close to being a perfect record for me. Will remain in my rotation for a while. Just a pure vibe through and through. Fave track. Aht Uh Me Hed Least fave track. XL-30
ok? carino ma un po' ripetitivo
Mi sono piaciute le strumentali, ma a livello di sound un po’ sempre la stessa roba
Not unfamiliar with Shuggie Otis, I was hyped to see this album come across the transom. He has that smooth funk sound that is infectious and listenable. Just a nice groove and great delivery. I'd love to hear this album in the hands of an incredible mixer for a remix/remaster but all you need to really do is turn it up.
"Inspirational Information" is the third album by American singer-songwriter, recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Shuggie Otis. Psychedelic soul, progressive soul, R&B and psychedelic funk are the Wiki-listed genres. Sure, OK. This album was his first as an adult and producer. Otis also performed most of the instrumental parts including vocals, guitar, bass, drums, organ, piano, vibraphone, percussion and the analog drum machines....everything but the horns and strings. The album had wide-spread critical acclaim but commercially didn't do very well hitting #181 in the US and he was his released from his label Epic as he was dropped due to poor sales. The self-titled "Inspirational Information" opens with soulful overlayed voices. In comes an organ, guitar, bass and a slow funky beat. Otis has a high tenor voice. The song gets a steady groove going...very easing listening. Great song! "Aht Un Mi Head" has an electronic beat that sounds like a clock ticking. Keyboards, a tambourine. Otis singing about things that out of his head as gunshots fly above. Eventually, the bass, strings and a flute enter. Another winner. Wow, the second half of this takes a turn. "Rainy Day" is a jazzy instrumental. Jazzy guitar and electronic beats. Strings also. The closer "Not Available" has a jazzy and funky vibe. Guitar, bass, strings and, yes, a flute. This is an enjoyable, easy listening album. There is no doubt Shuggie Otis is one talented guy. Smooth, laid back, groovy. Otis with his tenor voice. I liked the selective use of instruments. It is really a tale of two halves with the first half of songs being more funky and soulful. He takes the second half in a jazzy, electronic and experimental direction. Most of the songs are primarily instrumental and he goes to work using those analog drum machines. Overall, this is definitely worthy of a listen.
Wasn’t really in the mood for this - we’ll call it 3 and part ways forever
Sweet, pleasant but really just background music
Good easy listening
This was okay. Pretty mellow and varied, but not always varied enough to really hold my attention.
This was fine but just not really my thing. Oh well. 2.5/5
Really like the groove on this. Funk and Soul, not much else I could ask for. Overall really good. 4/5 Will listen again
I had never heard of Shuggie Otis before, and didn’t know what to expect. All in all, I found this album easy to listen to and enjoyable; this one is a 3 for me. Glad to be exposed to it, but didn’t like it so much that I will need to hear it again.
I felt this one in my soul, I think this has to be one of my favourite genres
I liked the funk and the jazziness. This was a pleasant and easy listen.
Shucks Shuggie! Loved this album! So many songs that went down soo well. Really good to study to in the background. So much texture and depth.
Richtig geil Funky, instrumentals, toll
I enjoyed it a good bit. Shuggie Otis is very underrated.
Expected more tbh
It has its moments. Strong finish with 'Destination You!' I would say overall 2.5/5.
Started it out. I just thought it was a disco album couple of different tunes there. Music is definitely of that era.
Really liked this! Very groovy. Never heard of Shuggie Otis.
Disc 1: 6.5 Disc 2: 7 Overall: 6.5 Favorite Tracks: *Wings of Love*, Give Me A Chance, Walkin’ Down the Country Least Favorite Tracks: Black Belt Sheriff, Castle Top Jam, Happy House
I respect that this exists, and the influence it provided, but damn this shit was boring.
ok, lil funk
This is a funk, soul and early R&B album rolled into one, with a lot of different sounds coming through here. I enjoyed it, it was good smooth listening that didn't become too tedious to listen to, like some albums like this can tend to do. Though, it did have a tendency to drag in places, it definitely could have been shorter, maybe shaved off a song or two. It's good, soothing background music if nothing else, sounding quite loungy at times, almost jazz inspired. I don't know if I would intentionally listen to it again, as it didn't do an awful lot for me but I would put it on whilst doing something in the background, I.e cooking. It's good Sunday morning music, which I quite like.
I enjoyed this but think it’s a grower. A few more listens and I could see myself bumping it up a star.
Really good
Unexpectedly fantastic.
Experimental, exceptional musicianship, ahead of its time in groove and beats.
Är ingen funkare tyvärr :-(
Pleasant and groovy
OK I guess? Not sure why it's on the list. Shuggie Otis is a good name for a singer though, and Aht Uh Mi Hed is a good name for a song.
Who the fuck is Shuggie Otis? Never heard of 'im. This album is what I might expect to hear if I was tied up in a hotel lobby for 55 mins and 54 seconds. Background music. Kinda mello jazzy funk fusion. Some tracks too long. Some tracks ironically too short! Some tracks fade out in weird places. Some tracks just a fucking mess. I really needed to be doing something else when this is on because it struggled to hold my attention. Not awful but I can live without it. I know now why I’ve never heard of Shuggie Otis. Not quite bad enough for a 1 though. 1½
Super chill album. Too much so. Forgot it was on. But a second run through got my attention. Groovy.
Feels like they missed their calling and shoulda been jazz fusion band.
I'm pretty sure I've never heard anything from this album before, or for that matter anything by Shuggie Otis, aside from perhaps his work with his father, but I'm pretty sure I haven't heard much by Johnny Otis either. And I appreciated that the album started off strong with the title track "Inspiration information", but disappointed that it kind of dissipated quickly for me after that. I was impressed to read that Shuggie Otis played most of the instruments on the album, and got into (analog) drum machines so early on, and I was kind of hoping this album might have an undiscovered Stevie Wonder or Prince vibe. But I think there's a reason why this album never made waves. I wish it was otherwise, but in many ways this is very much the definition of the product of a nepo baby, and I'm not really sure why this album is included in this collection, frankly.
This was fine but neither inspiring nor informative. Maybe I missed something somewhere.
There were some decent funky jams on this one, but not enough to push it to a 4 like everyone else. Still a solid 3.
I had heard that Shuggie was “Prince before Prince”, at least from the perspective that he was writing, arranging and producing his albums himself since he was 15 years old. At first that sounded like blasphemy but after I heard this, I get it. He’s in a more traditional lane than the more adventurous Purple One. But like Prince, he mixes styles from R&B to psychedelic soul, calypso and nuances in between. I love the whole album (except the palate cleanser “Happy House”, with the steamy vibe of “Aht Uh Mi Head” probably my favorite. Now in his 70s, I think Shuggie is still performing. If he’s ever in Denver, I have to see him. I’m lucky to have a 1974 original pressing (actually a DJ promo copy) that I picked up crate digging for a couple of dollars. Definitely worthy if you can find it! I give this one four out of five stars.
Best Song: Inspiration Information. Pure, shining, good-feeling vibes. What a musical ray of sunshine. Worst Song: XL-30. Completely unnecessary track. Felt more like a warm-up ritual than something that should be sitting dead center in the album. Overall: Interesting mix. It's great when the funk is funking and the grooves are grooving, but unfortunately those hit tracks are interspersed among too many quiet, sparse songs. I also felt like his vocals were such a tremendous addition to the mix, that I often ended up liking the purely instrumental tracks less than those with vocals.
Pas nul, mais pas fou non plus. Papa Otis, c'était mieux.
Mellow and funky, defintly worth a listen in the morning when needing focus.
Nice funky bluesy jazz album
Never heard of this guy, but boy is this good?
Not a great one in my opinion. Should not be on the list
That's a smooth jam
4/5
Pretty cool stuff. I liked how low-key it was. Just simple vibes. For better or worse, it all washed over me pleasantly, but didn't leave much of an impression.
Not really my style of music, but it's well done. I would listen to it again.
So chill and relaxing. I'll keep this album in mind for when I'm in that mood. Strawberry Letter 23 is familiar but I can't say for sure its this version I've heard before. In any case love the funky laid back vibe. New to me and good addition to this list.
Cool soulful, funky guitar album. Great to have going while working. 3.5/5
Solid
nice chill kind of proto-ambient album but i’m not really connecting with it all that much.
Beaucoup d'instrumental, très posé et un peu de clavier stylax
Knowing Snuggie played with Zappa I was expecting something closer to his early jazz music. Not so much. Funky but not that exciting to me
snoturt djassskotið sálarglamur. 3,5.
I enjoyed this album. It may not be mind-blowing in any sense but it is a solid funky jazz record and I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up and play it again. I had only heard a couple song from Shuggie Otis but liked what I heard so it was nice to see this pop up today. This is another album that falls in the category of 'play it in the background while doing other things' and it would make a perfect soundtrack for a Saturday morning. 3.5/5 but going to round down because it's just a little to generic funk to round up.
Dude's chilling, turning soulful low-key underdevelopment hip. Hey, I got a good idea: start with a snippet and then start jamming making sure we don't wake anybody on this island up!! And keep that up for the rest of the album. The definition of cool.
Didn’t really feel in the mood for this. Made no impression until maybe the last track. Totally inoffensive but inconsequential. In reality a 2.5 but he’s done nothing wrong!
I love Shuggie Otis. Multi-instrumentalist, just do it yourself kinda player.
This was a nice inclusion, though I can't claim to have gotten over-excited about it. The sound quality, certainly via Spotify, was not the best, so that didn't help matters. As I listen to "Freedom Flight" (the album that preceded this one) while I write this, I think that would have been my choice (had I been consulted). That album includes "Strawberry Letter 23," made famous by The Brothers Johnson, and that revelation is worth the price of admission on its own. Not to mention he wasn't even 18 when that was released in 1971. (BTW, I didn't know all this, sourced from AllMusic.com, and that site says he was 15 when he wrote the material. It also mentions that Shuggie played most all the instruments on that recording on his own. Interesting that the album cover hearkens to Prince's 1979 release, called "Prince". I suspect Shuggie was on Prince's radar.) Anyway, I liked this record, didn't quite fall in love. It's a 3.5, but I'm keeping this on the runway. Listen to his version of "Strawberry Letter 23," just to experience that if you haven't already. It's always been a favorite song of mine, and I had never heard Shuggie's version before this!
it started out cool. maybe not as interesting groove-wise as Sly & the Family Stone's Fresh or as compelling compositionally as Bill Withers, but it's a chill album. but it kind of died out at the end for me to get 4 stars.
Dig it!
I didn't know anything about this artist or this album. I liked it a lot, a solid 4 from me - my evaluations being as subjective as possible; if an album and/or an artist makes me feel good, then I'm good ;-)
Good stuff, good one to come back to
Oh yah shuggie my Otis please inspire my Otis and let it inform all over you
Good psychedelic rnb. Bit of sly stone going on, good stoner funk quality
Really wanted to to give this a 5 but there’s one or two tracks that pull it back, 4.7 really. Strawberry letter and ice cold daydream RULE
I am not totally on board with the number of instrumentals here. Tracks 7-9 are all instrumental and aren't unpleasant, yet they are the last 3 songs on the original album. Fortunately, I listened to the expanded edition so I heard four songs after those three. How was Strawberry Letter 23 not on this album? It's a great song. Shuggie Otis is a very talented artist, that much is obvious. It bothers me out of the last four "bonus" tracks, I think all Freedom Flight should have been on the original album. Freedom Flight is nice to listen to once but it's a 12-minute instrumental and it gave me bad flashbacks to when I heard the The Crusaders "Street Life" album. Overall, a good listen and I would revisit individual tracks but not the entire album.
Ihan kiva. Vähän liian chill instrumentaaleissa mulle, mutta mukavan kuuloista, sellaista mitä vois soittaa levykaupassa keskipäivällä. Strawberry letter 23 oli megasymppis, herätti huomion, muut biisit ei.
Artisti ei jaksa säveltää eikä laittaa heiveröistä ääntään minkäänlaiseen hyötykäyttöön. Jazzahtava himmailu sen sijaan tulee luonnostaan. "Pling!" osoittaa, että hän tietää tämän kaiken.
Inspiration Information podría considerarse como el puntapié inicial de la música que mezcla el pop con el R&B y Soul. Con un sonido bastante familiar para alguien que lo escucha desde el 2025 (siendo un disco de 1974), Otis compuso una seguidilla de canciones atemporales que en este punto ya son esenciales para el pop. Escuchando la radio se aprecia cómo artistas como Bruno Mars y Harry Styles buscan tomar de su sonido, canalizando a Otis pero nunca llegando a tocar sus talones (en tanto a originalidad hablamos). A la vez, podemos ver como con canciones como "Not Available", Otis fue influyente incluso para el sonido del "rap alternativo" como de The Internet y su ya icónico Steve Lacey. Con "Sweet Thang" se ve también una de las primeras piezas claves para el desarrollo del denominado "Trip Hop". "Icecold Daydream", busca ser la mejor reinterpretación posible de Hendrix y su "experimentado trío". El track homónimo, enérgico y divertido, antecede una suave y sensual experiencia, producida a cabalidad por Shuggie y su sorprendente habilidad. No hay duda de que esta pieza es sumamente importante para la evolución de la música negra, habiendo inspirado incluso a gigantes como Prince. Lo volvería a escuchar en contexto de fiesta. Creo que los "skits" como "Happy House" y "XI-30", entorpecen el pacing de un disco que por otra parte sería "pop perfection". Se sienten como tracks improvisados para llenar con algo la duración del LP. Si bien del punto de vista técnico son impresionantes, desde el punto de vista de la composición, no tanto. Dentro de esta categoría, el instrumental que sin duda es más hipnótico es "Pling!". Pistas destacadas: Inspiration/Information Sparkle City Aht Uh Mi Hed Sweet Thang Freedom Flight
After weeks upon weeks of bland classic rock, and albums that are so horrendous they make you wonder how they are even on this list, this album was (mostly) a breath of fresh air. This album feels divided into two different moods, and then mixed into a semi-alternating track list of the two. About half of the songs are a relaxed, down-tempo, instrumental that feel like you're in a mostly-empty speakeasy at 2am on rainy Thursday. And the other half are head-bobbing, funky jazz jams with vocals, infectious style, and outrageous bass work. I think I preferred the latter ever-so-slightly more than the former, but overall it's a excellent, fun time with this album. The last few tracks lost me by dropping the jazz aesthetic and turning into just another set of bland 70's classic dad tracks. It's like when you're eating a perfectly nice banana, but you get to the lowest part and it's that brown mush that spoiled. Thankfully that take away from the first 3/4 of this album being a really good time.
groovy album. Real solid start to end.
It's a great lazy Sunday morning album but on the whole it's just too long and has too much filler for me. Probably worth a relisten sometime in the future in the hope that I am mistaken.
Enjoyable but somehow still missing something.
never heard this artist before, not bad
So who was going to tell me that this is secretly one of the best soul/funk albums of the 70s, if not ever? Well, this list I guess. Robert Dimery, you have been absolved of your sins for now.
A little too laid back for me.
Felt like this had so much potential but just didn't deliver.
good album to put on in the background when you have friends over & don't want to put anything on that would make anyone complain. been looking for these!
Chilled out soul music that is just a little boring. It feels like the album wants to go somewhere but it doesn’t quite get there. In short this album is dull. Favourite song: Least favourite: Album artwork: Not one for the wall at home.
Welp that was a pleasant journey. Wonderfully smooth vocals along with some tasty soulful/funky instrumentals dripped in some psychedelia. I could see this hitting different depending on mood, but for now it is a high 4. Standouts include the title track, Sparkle City, and Aht Uh Mi Hed. Happy House was a trip -- felt like the audio equivalent of a funhouse mirror.
4 stars, this album was a pleasant surprise. Strawberry Letter I have definitely heard in the past.
This is a weird one on Spotify because it looks like it might be two albums smushed together. I am deferring to Wikipedia on this one and am listening through "Not Available". Shuggie Otis is an incredible name. This is some great walking funk. Never really hit any notable highs, but it is just a consistently good groove that had me bopping for 30 mins. It feels like the opposite of Beach Boys where even if it's not my favorite funk/soul, I love the genre so much that it's hard to dip below a 4. I decided to listen to a bit past Not Available and it stayed great. Still not happy with Spotify on this one.
That was some incredibly funky stuff with the smoothest of singers. I was bumping along to that album the whole time. Don't think it is quite worth a 5 but it is very close.
This is some good shit. Never heard of Shuggie Otis before but really enjoying it. Rainy Day is a perfect Christmas Eve morning song. Funky and peaceful, but I found a lot of songs not really going anywhere. This is between a 3-4 to me
The groove makes it feel like a full band, pretty remarkable its him in a studio. I know these songs, whether played in another car commercial, or filling out a Khruangbin album
Loved The Brothers Johnson' cover of Strawberry Letter 23 since I was a kid. This album is quite beautiful.
I liked the first few songs but the instrumental tracks aren't really for me. I wish this record was more like what I imagined it was going to be! 3 overall
I think this is a jam band? Seems well done but not really my cup of tea.
This is that good shit, funky psychedelic soul. Every song hits just right and peaks with "Strawberry Letter 23". I've been vibing this for the last 25 years after, of all places, hearing a cover of "Strawberry Letter 23" by Zero 7 at one of their concerts where it was sung by Sia Furler (Pre Sia Sia) and Sophie Barker... Good times.
Underappreciated 1974 classic that languished in obscurity until David Byrne re-released it in 2001 (w bonus tracks) and brought it much-deserved acclaim. This is when I heard it. Knowing Shuggie played most of the instruments himself (not horns/strings) and employed an early example of a drum machine on some songs is cool but not necessary to enjoy this experimental soulful record. It could have used a couple more straight-up songs like the title track, which promises more than the rest of the album delivers. It's a classic, though.
How has Shuggie evaded me. So freakin' cool. Will be bumping this much more. Fun fact: played with Frank Zappa, which did not surprise in the least.
It was good
Groovy, but wish the songs had more "meat on the bone", for lack of a better term.
A very happy pleasant if somewhat banal listen.
🎧Excellent stuff. Had definitely heard of Shuggie but first time listening to his music
This was another artist that I've never heard of previously. I'm not sure what exactly what I was expecting, but it seems pretty straightforward. It's funky and it's soulful, but honestly I didn't find it to be particularly attention-catching. I genuinely struggled to pay attention to this album, it felt like the whole thing was buildup to some crescendo that never actually happened. I appreciate the vibes, I appreciate the musicality and the talent that went into making it, but I just really wanted something more than this album could give. I really found myself bored by this record. It's not bad by any means, there's no objective negative qualities, it just really failed to strike a chord with me. 2*
Shuggie Otis is one of those names I recognize and think I’d like their music a lot but just never got around to listening to, so I was very excited to give this album a listen. From the first track I really wanted to love this album. There is a lot to love about- the composition is complex and layered but doesn’t feel crowded or too busy. It’s silky smooth and sexy. Unfortunately, it has a certain quality that makes it easy to tune out or to fall into the mental lane of background music at times. I do wish it commanded my attention a bit more. The title track and “XL-30” were my favorites. An interesting thing about this album: usually when you listen to a mostly or totally instrumental album from a solo artist, it’s clear what instrument that artist plays. I tried to figure this out while listening to “Inspiration Information” and still had no clue by the end. After reading a bit about the album, I learned that Shuggie played almost all of the instrumental track as well as produced the album himself. Very impressive. This album is also an early use case of analog drum machines and garnered the respect of Sly Stone. Cool. Overall this is a pleasant and at times interesting album but not quite what I hoped it would be. 7/10 ⭐️
Pretty cool record. A few chill instrumental pieces that are really nice and the other songs are pleasant and catchy too. 7/10
Double length docks a point but it's otherwise a fantastic album.
That was surprisingly fun
Shuggie Otis is one of the "could have been/should have been" stories in modern music. He was a guitar prodigy, and performed with his father's band starting in his early teens. Inspiration Information was his third studio album, which Otis produced himself and played most of the instrumental parts on the album. The album did not find commercial success, and marked the beginning of a long, quiet period in Otis' career. After a few notable musicians described the album as an inspiration, including Prince and Lenny Kravitz, it was released in 2001, leading to a late resurgence in Otis' career. This is an incredible work of R&B and psychedelic soul, full of interesting, rich, textured songs. It's an album that should have been more famous, and had it been, Shuggie Otis could have produced more music...
Fresh to me
Love me some Shuggie. Wish it was Saturday morning and I was stoned.
Funky. Cool album. Hadn't ever heard it. Easy one to get a bit lost in at times. Rainy Day is a great example. I liked it. Good one on the list.
I like the vibe here. On the right day this would be the perfect album. Making a cup of coffee, early morning sipping it as the Sun rises. This album isn't brash. It's hard for it to offend me. Aht Uh Mi Hed is my favorite track.
8/10 Really jazzy and smooth Favourite Song=Inspiration Information Least Favourite Song=Rainy Day
Super funky, dug the vibes. Was a new one for me!
Equal parts funky, eclectic, and peaceful, and enjoyable throughout.
Listenable and reasonably chilling.
Not my type of music at all, in my opinion a little bit boring.
This is groovy, smooth, and very chill. And it's so impressive that he played most of the instruments and experimented with the analog drum machines. But nothing really grabbed my attention and held it. I can understand why it's on the list, but it's not my favorite.
stoner bliss
A good listen. The instrumentals were good. Vocal work was fine. Nothing stood out in particular, but it made for good background sound. 'Pling!' was my fave.
Chill, funk, lounge album. Strawberry letter 23 instant ear worm.
I'd never heard of Shuggie Otis before but as soon as Strawberry Letter 23 hit I got a wave of recognition. I listened to the deluxe version (hence hearing that track) and didn't think anything on the original album met the deluxe tracks in quality which is interesting, but I loved this. Great workflow music.
Crispy production Most pleasantly poppy art While keeping it weird
Shuggie Otis is yet another artist that I’ve never heard of. One more reason to love being told what to listen to rather than sticking with what I know! I quite enjoyed this album. It admittedly felt a little porny at times, but it is otherwise it is a fun trip and a definite rump shaker. The vocals are nice, but the funky bass and guitar shine through most here for me. #shuggieotis #inspirationinformation #albumreview #musicisitgoodthough #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie #funk #soulmusic #psychedelicsoul
Mostly groovy, mellow background noise. Would be great for drowning out your thoughts while working on something unpleasant. Or for a nice drive. Very melodic and groovy
Inspiration Information finds Shuggie Otis in prime form, oozing confidence and brilliance through his fingertips in a way that would look pathetic in the hands of lesser musicians. This kind of coolness on display here, in all honesty, has been the backbone of what has come from the soul genre these last few years and the lineage can be traced to Shuggie. All killer, no filler.
I’d never heard of this artist. What a trip! It’s a pure mood album and a great listen.
chill jazz
Ahh. Old Shuggie, Shugster. The Shugmeister General as well always called him. It’s nice to reminisce! I remember when me and Len first met him. We fell in love with his personality in a second but we couldn’t understand his music. We kept saying, ‘Shuggie, come on man! You’re so talented. Let’s get you away from making hotel lounge bar music and let’s make some catchy, funky tunes’. It’s nice to see moments of where he listened to us on this but otherwise it’s just same old Shuggie. You have to respect that in a way. We can’t all be Houmous & Chutney! 2.8
amazing soul
On Amazon Music, this album is paired with "Wings of Love," so I listened to both. This is pretty good. I like the funky 70s vibe. Shuggie also played with Frank Zappa, so that's cool. I am a big fan of Frank. I give this 3 stars, but I will listen to it again in the future, and the rating might change. For the original release, I would say "Sparkle City" is my favorite track. When you add the extra tracks the standouts are: "Miss Pretty" and "Magic".
Oh dear. The massive over-production fails to disguise the lack of actual songs. It's just fluff. Strawberry Letter 23 is the only track with anything approaching a memorable hook or melody.
Didnt kno he originally sang strawberry letter 23. Album was just good music, not much else to say
Damn. I mean, funk yeah, this album hits the unexpected bullseye. Wildly fantastic and I hope that others like it.
cool album - will listen to again
very long, groovy sound most times. not bad
Not bad honestly. Groovy and easy listening
A curiously funky album. Easy to listen to.
veryyy good
There's a lot of cool stuff going on in this album, but a lot of it feels just a little low effort. Strawberry Letter 23 is an awesome song and you know that he's got that in him, but so much of this album feels like he's just recording him fucking around with his band rather than a formal song. Really love the sound, don't love the effort.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🪑🪑🪑 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎸✨😏 Rating: 🍓🍓🍓/5
Sem animo pra ouvir
Very cool!
Pretty cool!
Pretty decent soul/funk album. Rainy day is a pretty song. Aht uh Mi Hed is cool too.
Good and varied music.
Out of all the albums that sound like ambient video game music this is my favourite album to sound like ambient video game music. I adored this front to back! Favourite track: Rainy Day.
Fave track: "Sweet thang"
Lemppari: Strawberry Letter 23 Vähiten lemppari: Not Available
Soulful and a bit funky, it is a record you could put on with friends over while having drinks and a conversation and it compliment it. I really mean that in a good way. Stand out tracks: - Inspiration Information - Sparkle City - Rainy day - Strawberry letter 23 - Sweet Thang
So laid back he was laid out?
This is some great soul and funk.
Pretty solid....
Was about to say: not bad, but not groovy enough - department store browsing music. But then, from Strawberry Letter 23 (great track) onwards, things improved - hoorah! The rest of the album is pretty cool - I enjoyed the vibe.
I just read that he turned down the Rolling Stones, Bowie and Stevie Wonder. Bet he regrets that! I'm sure he's very talented but this does nothing for me.
Relaxing, funky, easy listening, some nice guitar in places. Goes on for a bit too long, would benefit from having some of the noodley tracks in the middle of the album cut. Strawberry Letter 23 was the standout track for me, liked that a lot. Great name too 🍓✉️ 2️⃣3️⃣
Some funky lines, especially in Sparkle City. Gets a little experimental which may explain why it wasn't a bigger hit.
decent funk sound, consistent with the era.
I listened to a double album. I think the first disc was Inspiration Information anx it was 2-3 stars. The second was Wings of Love and it was darn good, 3-4 stars. So, going with 3.
Shuggie Otis is a cool name, I’ve also never heard of him before this. This is fine. Perfectly middle of the road
Hints of something that never really develops into anything
Boring as shit. Could not tell when one song ended and another began.
Je ne connaissais pas , pas vraiment séduit . Un peu fatigant à mon gout
Cool funky tunes. Lost me a bit in the middle though.
Cette soul psychédélique teintée de jazz m'a enchanté ! Quoi de mieux pour surmonter une journée morne d'automne que d'écouter des titres qui fleurent bon le soleil des 70's. Certains morceaux ont plus vieilli que d'autres, laissant un petit arrière goût d'ascenseur ou de yachting. Pour le reste, j'ai aimé. Je connaissais la reprise de Strawberry Letter 23 mais pas l'originale ! En résumé une belle découverte tombée à point nommé. Ma vraie note serait 3.5
Love the name. Loved the sound for the first 40 minutes. Funk-lite, would you call it? Idk, but it was pretttty smooth. (ntm.)
This was ok, but I didn't love it.
Rating after listening to the album 4 days ago. I don't remember disliking anything, but to be honest I only vaguely remember the album cover and that's it.
02/10/24 Average.
So, I was really confused by something because when I searched for this artist on Spotify I couldn't find this album, not exactly anyway and so I used the Spotify link in here to take me to the web player to then listen on my phone which played the album I found in the first place. WHICH, I have come to learn was a Re-issue with bonus tracks, something I did not know until writing this! Another groovy instrumental(ish) album which I have so come to adore. I loved it a lot and listened to it many times. Though, I have to give it four stars because I think that while I greatly enjoyed it, I think this one requires more of a "right headspace" to listen to. Its been cool and rainy where I am the past few days and this album was perfect for the late night into early morning routine of getting ready and then unwinding. I also personally love this kind of music, but I don't think I know many other people that would want to listen a whole album of this like I do. So it gets a solid four stars, the music it does, it does WELL and there is quite a bit of variety in the songs (hence the ish earlier). This is already too long but the album is very chill, very groovy, and well worth your time if you like music from this era.
This is like elevator music if elevator music was groovier.
so fucking chill
This is my 885th album and truly the first album where I had never heard of album nor artist. And that's my loss. A deliciously slow soul/funk record.
Surprisingly enjoyable. Not sure why it's a must listen but I did find it relaxing. An album that could be played in the background that you don't necessarily need to listen note for note what is going on to find some entertaining value from it.
Generic soul. I guess it's fine. Not what I would search out. But generally inoffensive. Can't say that is the picture of things I need to listen to before I die though.
This is some smooth ass shit for sure
Mostly pretty boring
I don’t know what rock I’ve been living under, but I’ve never heard of this guy. The latter half of this album is absolutely killer. If not for the first half being a bit of a bore, this would be 5 stars. 4/5 Highlights: Strawberry Letter 23 Sweet Thang Freedom Flight
This album was all over the place, it was like they just threw a bunch of demos together and called it an album. The music wasn’t bad, it wasn’t all that great either.
Very good unknown album for all smooth/groove lovers.
Smooth soul/ jazz. Mellow vibe.
Inspiration Information // Island Letter // Aht Uh Mi Hed //
I've never heard of Shuggie Otis before, but this sounds like an interesting album, and it should make for some good Saturday afternoon listening while my kids nap. Well, this album would be more suited for my nap than my kids' naptime. Reading about this album, I was impressed Shuggie's resumé, and the fact that he did so much of the work that went into this album (I love that fact about the first Foo Fighters' album as well. I guess Dave Grohl had more time for quality music when he wasn't busy impregnating women half his age). But while the concept is great, the execution just wasn't that interesting to me. Shuggie clearly knows how to craft good musical arrangements, but musically, this album just didn't go anywhere interesting or unique. I kept waiting to hear something new and exciting, but this album felt like it could have just faded into obscurity amongst all the other soft rock that was being put out in the seventies. Only one song really stood out to me, "Aht Uh Mi Hed," because it was the only song where Shuggie did something unique. I loved the bass and rhythm forward sound, and things were rounded out nicely by some sparse guitar playing, some nice organ sounds, and some really great woodwinds and horns. The atmosphere of this song felt dense and dark, even with the flute and horns. This album wasn't bad, but I found it pretty bland, and it's not the sort of things I'd seek out again.
I read "psychedelic soul" and was expecting a wild trip. What I got was more of a comfortable afternoon nap. The best tracks are 'Inspiration Information' and 'Strawberry Letter 23' - the latter of which was not included in the original release. Oh well.
It started of as a soulful trip with psychedelic vibes, but soon turned into a great occasion for me to practice my napping skills. Nothing is particularly bad - just boring.
There's a lot to love about this album. The beats are funky, the hooks are catchy, and Shuggie can definitely sing. Overall I really enjoyed it. My favorite tracks were Strawberry Letter 23, Sweet Thang, and the 10 minute finale.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I think he is very talented, and his music is subtle.
I went in not expecting too much and came out feeling like I experienced something.
Was OK. Would have liked more social commentary. Good musicians, voice nothing special.
This day I learned about a legend
Never heard of it, but enjoyed it pretty well. Kind of groovy music, and the singer has a really nice voice.
So groovy. Shuggie is cooler than I will ever be in this life or the next. However, I must admit I skipped a song or two. But when it landed it landed hard.
I don't need to listen to this again.
This was a lovely surprise. A fantastic blend of funk and soul with a more psychedelic sound, constantly shifting and refreshing. Strawberry Letter 23 sounded familiar and I have now found out that not only did it feature briefly in Pulp Fiction, it has been interpolated by both Outkast and Coheed & Cambria - wild
can't even recall how it sounds
Not offensive. I'm really not sure what makes it essential listening though. I kinda like it, but I wouldn't tell my friends. There's a lot better from this genre and era, that were more impactful. Was Shuggie ground breaking? Or inspirational? I don't care enough to drive any deeper. Two decent but forgettable stars.
I like the vibes
Genuinely nice and funky tracks
Very chill. Very groovy. Very Zen
Damn, Shuggie kind of rocks. Just some great R&B/blues-esque music that was entertaining throughout. Could be a bit more polished/dialed in in some spots but all in all a really surprising and enjoyable album that I will listen to again. 7.5/10 (3.75/5)
Shuggie Otis suffers a fate more common than I had realized before I began this music critic jouney: At the wedding of life you have the head table, than the closer ones, slowly moving towards the back of the venue. Now! Nobody is an enemy, he is a good musician, entertaining, professional, no problem. He IS at the wedding. The trouble is that he is somewhere in the middle tables and gets a bit lost in the crowd. It seems a lot of bands, even ones I have always liked, suffer this fate. Yet they do have superfans and respect anyhow, and it gives an appreciation for how hard it really is to rise to the top in the industry.
This was funky and delightful! I read that this was one of the first albums to make heavy use of analogue drum machines. I love when people find ways to use electronics but their music still feels so soulful and human. The vocals were soft and sweet. They made me think of something my vocal coach Ken Tamplin is always saying - if you build up a strong chest voice, you can go soft or heavy and everything in between. But if you only develop your soft stuff and your head voice, that’s all you’ll have. So it’s ok that the vocals here felt limited to the softest crooning because that definitely served the songs, but it would have been great if they could have wailed a little at some point.
Quite funky in parts
What a good album - really chilled.
Really quite pleasant
This is okay, a portion of it sounds like mediocre background music though.
Digging this and I'm only 60 seconds in!! Totally in my 70's mellow, soul, funk wheelhouse. Maybe a little to "soft" for me, but still a very very enjoyable album. Has a nice mix of some mellow funk-psych that I do like.
Some nice funky tracks
Perfect listening for a relaxed Thursday work morning. I knew Strawberry Letter 23 and loved it, and the rest of this didn't disappoint. The softness and sway of this is gorgeous, and I love the voice. In some ways, the songs are typical 70s soul disco fare, but something about the wooziness of the whole really elevates this to something unique. A great discovery.
SHIT THE BED. This was joyous from the first soulful vocals through until the final hammond organ sequence. It straddles folk revivalists with the cusp on soul taking some early steps towards disco. I love the social message as well. Why isn't this spoken in the same glowing terms as the What's Going On masterpiece? Amazing!
A mixture of funk, jazz, and ambient music. A colorful experience. Made for a unique album and listen. Lots of different instruments. Not completely sold on some of the songs. It sometimes drifts off and back in again. Standouts: Island Letter, Aht Uh Mi Hed, Rainy Day, Not Available, and Strawberry Letter 23
Side one was nice and I enjoyed the laid back energy, but side two was instrumental and it made the album feel incomplete. The lyrics were great, his singing was great, the instrumentation on the second half wasn’t necessarily good enough to survive on its own, so what’s the fuckin deal? I would have really like this whole thing, but alas, I must be content with liking half. 3/5
Expected a few more bangers, but still was a cool listen. I’ll go back to it and see if it grows on me more.
Great low-key funk with some excellent guitar work! I’ll definitely be coming back to this!
It was chill! Nice to crochet too! 😎
Yet another album that caught me by surprise. Good stuff.
Even after reading the Wikipedia entry, I'm struggling to understand why this album is on the list. There's nothing wrong with it, it's fine, enjoyable even but it doesn't seem essential.
It didn't do much for me. Fine overall, but never really hooked me.
groovy and pleasant, though overall it falls a bit flat. some songs get off to a promising start, but cannot maintain the momentum. others are dull from start to finish. still, there are some cool instrumental moments (e.g. the beginning of Sweet Thang) that keep this album from being a flop
aw man they were definitely on drugs
What is this soulful sorcery and where has it been all my life?
Nice groove - I'd call it light funk. Nice easy listening for dinner music. Not a rotation album, but nice.
Never heard of him before, it was alright. Chill soul vibes.
Smooth and jazzy
Soul que começa envolvente e acaba ficando arrastado e enfadonho.
This is super funky. Enjoyed it a lot. Strawberry Letter 23 was the highlight.
I found this kind of boring and wasn't a fan of the vocals. The funkier songs were better but this will end up being an album I completely forget about in a couple days.
Funky, mellow … meandering. Not memorable for me.
A great listen on the treadmill
I was really surprised by this one. Had absolutely no idea what to expect as I’d never heard Shuggie Otis before, but this was so enjoyable, musically and lyrically. It seemed very different from a lot of stuff from that time period, in a good way. I found myself really getting lost in the music when normally I’m more of a lyrics person. Fantastic album overall.
This album makes you feel like you’ve shot straight back to the early 70’s disco / motown / hip hop scene. The music gets a little fairground from track 7, but it starts strong.
STANDOUTS: n/a OVERALL: 2/5
Snuggie Otis sir, you are a magician. This album is so smooth man. The perfect joint for a relaxing Sunday afternoon or even doing stuff around the house. I love this!
Not really my thing.
Very fine
Smooth R&B.not bad. Digged the title track
So Shuggie Otis was an artist that I had never heard before, and I found this to be a completely forgettable album… As I always do when I get one of these headscratchers, I was perplexed why this is even on the 1,001 list… Found this little ditty about the “Inspirational Information” album – “…Released in 1974 on Epic Records, it reached number 181 on Billboard's Top 200 Pop Albums list that year…”. Wow – 174 of 200 at it’s peak, we definitely need to get that one on the 1,001 list for sure… : ) Anyways, just found it incredibly odd all-the-way around, as songs go on much longer than they need to, while others stop suddenly when they should have gone on a bit longer – and vocals, forget about it, as they are absolutely dreadful… Actually found the instrumentals to be a bit better, but that may have just been because Shuggie wasn’t singing… This sounded like it could have been the soundtrack music to the old 70’s sitcom “Sanford & Son”… “…I think this is the big one Elizabeth…” though nothing big about this album, and giving a generous 1 for my rating…
Thankfully, this album was much better than the first one I started my day with. Inspiration Information is a dreamy, laid-back soul album that was way ahead of its time. When I first started listening, I thought my Spotify had a glitch and skipped ahead because I didn’t think those production techniques existed in the early 70s. Until today, I had never known about this album, but I’m really glad I discovered it because I’ll definitely listen to it again in the future.
3.5/5
Dull.
Thoughts before listening: I don't know much about Shuggie Otis. 70s soul I guess, but I don't associate him with any songs. I do believe he's well respected so maybe more of an underground type guy. Review: Oh, Shuggie did "Strawberry Letter 23". That's a jam, as is this whole album. Super cool, laid back funky soul music with lots of jazzy musicianship and guitar solos. 4-stars
Not bad!
WOW. Had no knowledge of Shuggie, but loved this brief masterpiece. His rhythms kept part of my body in continual movement and his clear, sweet voice was pleasing on the non instrumental songs. I’ll listen to more Shuggie. Glad for the intro.
Pretty chilled put but not exciting
It was ok at first, but didnt really care for it
This is an interesting album. It's often funky, sometimes like soft jazz. Sometimes, it sounds like someone was playing around with an old Lorwry organ. I liked hearing the original veesionĥStrawberry Letter 22. Liked songs added: - Inspiration Information - Sparkle City - Sweet Thang
This is really great. I've always been a big fan of Strawberry Letter 23, but never dove into the rest of Shuggie's stuff. This is a 3.5, but going lower as it seems like he padded a bit with short songs to finish a record contract. My guess is the previous albums are more substantial.
My favorate album in this list so far. When funk music gets groovy, catchy yet relaxing to listen to, this is how it feels like.
I will return to this album. It was enjoyable from start to finish and I especially liked how there were both fast and slow songs but nothing felt out of place. It was also fun to listen to the music because I could clear hear each individual instrument being played.
Man...this is really depressing to say, but this flirts aggressively with being elevator music. Chill funk is really hard to pull off, and unfortunately it hasn't been pulled off here
Never heard of Shuggie Otis before. After the first track, I was very confident this was going to be up my alley. It was funky, jazzy, and all those good things, but it got a little lost in the middle there and it was almost *too* chill. Highlights are the title track, Sparkle City, Strawberry Letter 23, and Sweet Thang
Didn't expect it to be so instrumental, which improved my opinion of it.
It was definitely interesting background music, but definitely not something I’d put on again. 2.4
Pleasant, some great guitar and bass, but nothing super memorable.
I’m giving it through with the combination of both albums.
Groovy, man. Truly out of sight. This cat has soul and I can dig it. But that last jam, man, sounded like they just got a synthesizer and flipped pushed aome buttona for ten minutes.
Easy going, funky rhythms that set your whole soul at ease. I will never have anything negative to say about Mr. Otis' smooth arrangements.
Shuggie's addictive confection of funk and psychedelic soul is even sweeter than his namesake.
Shuggie's got the groove, too bad the funk genre has progressed past this standard, artists like Funkadelic really set an insane bar for funk. Shuggie shows off his instrumental talents and whips up soul food, he's got the energy and the voice without a doubt. Quite a few highlights and I will give tremendous credit where it's due, he shines brightly in his effortless attempts at jamming out. We get all kinds of instrument love throughout this LP. Some tracks do fall short to being empty and spacious, void of many different elements that make you groove. However, Shuggie is a talented soul with some memorable records scattered around on this project.
Not really my kind of music.
Didn't care for it. Some tracks sounded like elevator music to me.
Decent. Impressive that he played everything himself and was just 21, and on his 3rd album, which is somewhat ludicrous. Then disappeared for 30 years. Aht Uh Mi Hed did the rounds, I recognise that one. Probably got sampled in the 00s and made into a dance track. I am however not blown away. Some tracks were just nice background stuff. Middling. Strawberry Letter 23 is fantastic - that riff, gorgeous. However that's on Freedom Flight so perhaps we should have had that record instead...
This album's got some nice and chill music that I really enjoyed (especially the funky instrumentation), but it isn't interesting enough to rate it higher than a three.
Good. Like a funky jazz ripoff.
really fun jazz, ending track was great
Great funk album that is really versatile and grooves hard.
Soulful and excellent
I noticed one of the reviews said "its like listening to pink floyd without the drugs". Tbh, i think i need drugs to truly enjoy this. Pretty boring. Not great. Rating 2/5
Favourites: inspiration information, island letter, sparkle city, rainy day, XL-30, pling!, not available, sweet thing. Pretty pleasant, I liked the non lyrical songs a lot they increased the album rating. 4/5
Chill beats for this sunny morning, I am so happy I am almost free of this job. Kind of just dissociated to the music but it was very nice. Favourites were the title track, Island Letter, Happy House, Rainy Day, Strawberry Letter 23, and Sweet Thang. I'm really on a roll catching up and am in a relatively hopeful and good mood which will land this album a rating of 4
I wasn't really paying attention but I liked what I heard 3/5
Not for me. Some people will probably love it and find it ground breaking, I found it dull.
Calm but also experimental flow of music.
Has some cool moments for sure. 4 stars
70s RnB with a sprinkling of funk
It's gentle funk. It's junk.
shruggie
8/10
Groovy. Cool guitar. 3/5
Having to restart an album multiple times during the day is a bad sign. The beginning of the album sounds like elevator music or being on hold with your health insurance. The ending (last two songs) are stronger but jeez, before you even get there… 1/5
A chill, funky album. 3* Enjoyed: rainy day
Good God, this is awful. It kicks off with kind of "sexy time music", and then plunges into music so utterly banal as to be immediately forgotten.
This is great. Enjoyed this a lot
That outfit he's wearing on the album cover is damn near everything. I only wish I could pull off that exact ensemble. I almost didn't want to listen after seeing the album cover, fearing that anything inside would be a disappointment after staring at that photo. Also: Shuggie Otis! Please tell me he's related to former Kansas City Royals centerfielder Amos Otis. Or don't. I'm in love with the name Shuggie Otis. I regret not naming one of my children Shuggie. I almost want to go out and find someone to have another baby with, just so we can name that child after Shuggie Otis. Or Amos Otis. I'm not picky. Turns out Shuggie wrote the epic song "Strawberry Letter 23". Christ, it just keeps getting better. Apparently, Prince was a huge fan of this album, and you can hear why. But hey, that's me. Like the Purple King himself, I am what has been described in certain circles as a tender lover. Those people aren't wrong. Neither is Prince. Sources suggest this might be the final album on this list. I've finally reached the end of this journey. Or trip if you will. And if it's truly the end, this is a suitable album to end with. Albums like this are what make this journey worthwhile. Finding something I previously never knew existed, and being absolutely overjoyed by it. So it's not the Beatles, Stones, Bowie or Dylan albums I was already aware of that are the winners here. It's PJ Harvey, who I threw more 5's at than I ever thought possible. And it's our man Shuggie Otis. I only knew Strawberry Letter 23, and that's only because it was used in the film Jackie Brown. But now I can go on a deep dive of Shuggie Otis and learn as much about him as I do Amos Otis. No relation!
Strawberry letter 23 is ace.
Not for me.
Terrific! 3.75
3/5