Track Listing

1. Sweet power your embrace
2. Good thing
3. Free
4. Mbewe
5. Funny girl
6. Slick city
7. Rhythm of life
8. Hey hey hey
9. I've got my eyes on you
10. Dreams

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53580 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

From the Label
A timeless classic!
This album has been one of the most in demand black music albums over the last fifteen years. James was one of the guitarists in Roy Ayres Ubiquity in the late ‘70’s, playing on the ‘Lifeline’ album which featured ‘Running Away’ – one of the most classic Jazz-Funk tracks of all time. The same urgency and progressive jazz funk is reflected in this album which has rightly become an ‘underground’ classic.

Tracks like ‘Sweet Power Your Embrace’, ‘Free’, Slick City’ and the title track are well known Jazz Funk club anthems, but this album includes other great tracks like ‘Funny Girl’, ‘Good Thing’ and ‘I’ve Got My Eyes on You’, showing off Clarice Taylor’s whisper vocals to their best effect. This album is even more remarkable, considering that it was recorded at the same time as ‘Saturday Night Fever’ when most musicians where trying to cash in on the disco bandwagon. ‘Rhythm of Life’…A timeless classic!

Laurence Prangell Soul Brother Records

Customer Reviews

thank you
I want to thank everyone that helped me to discover that this record had a following.

I was not one of the most 'revered" artist at Chiaroscuro Records at the time this was recorded. My entire budget was $2,000.00 US or about 0.75% of the going budget for a major label R&B/Jazz album at that time. But as a 22-year old I was really grateful for the opportunity. Nevertheless, the budget may have had some impact on the sound quality; however, I loved the sound of bare open rhythm tracks. Some of the sparseness would have been part of the mix even with a larger budget. I think that my entire personal compensation netted me a winter coat.

The opportunities I had to travel to England and discover the impact my album had remain among the peak experiences of my life... Although, I am still hoping for an opportunity to take Sade to lunch/dinner/tea/akee and sawfish/bubble and squeak/whatever :-) :-) :-)

Cheers

any album containing "sweet power your enbrace" must be good
This album comes from back in the day when rare groove was at its height.It was owned by a few and coveted by many,all the musicians have worked with roy ayres but james mason imprints his very own style on this album which has a very mellow mood of its own."sweet power" can be found on a number of compilations but the remainder of the tracks here are worth listening too in their own right

insistent grooves
Mason's album credits include a thank you to Roy Ayer's, his former employer, for lessons learned. And the vibe here (pardon the pun) is very Ayers influenced. Like the mallet-wielding honey voiced soul jazz ambassador Mason lays out a spread of insistent propulsive grooves, very smoove.

Opener 'Sweet Power Your Embrace' is unquestionably the standout track. Oddly the least succesfull number is the title track, which seems to over-egg the souffle: the whisk is wielded too heavy handedly, and the track collapses under its own weight. But there are other good pieces here, like 'Free', with a truly torpedo like groove, and the easly soul-steppin' of 'Dreams'.

For drummers out there (like myself), and sundry other beatnuts, Narada Michael Walden is main sticksman, and he can be relied on for tasty chunky rhythms. There are several Purdie shuffle type grooves to be enjoyed, and tasty fills aplenty. The production sounds a little flat, which doesn't help the vocals. Clarice Taylor obviously has a great voice, but Mason and backing vocalist/co-author of the tunes Ninoska Escobar, don't give her the most inspiring lines.

Priceless lyric: "you must be a baker, cause you've got the sweetest cakes"! That line's delivered by Mason himself I believe, but it's fairly indicative of the level of lyrical finesse. For fans of jazz funk and soul tho', this is still worthy and enjoyable groovin'.