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: #24583 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-10
• Number of discs: 1

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

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

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

Soooooo Sweet & Powerful - Embrace it!
The leading 'Soul Brother' review says it all, really. I'll add simply that this is a unique slice of jazzfunk that remains as insistent today on my music player as ever! Miss it at your peril! Sheer Class!