Funky Fusion/R&B Masterpiece
5
By forbisher
I can't believe this album only has one review! This is one of the authentically epic late 70s funk/fusion albums. Right up there with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and Weather Report's Black Market. George Duke is a creative master of melody and rhythm and this album is so packed with juice that it is bursting its own seams.
Hot Fire has what may be one of the greatest fusion guitar solos of all time on it by the relatively unknown Charles Foster "Icarus" Johnson. This band is on fire and the listener can feel the their synergy throughout. The title cut, Reach For It, is a gyrating, steamy funk classic. Later, Omi, displays Duke's boundless melodic invention and the band's stunning technique.
This album is one to listen to for straight up sonic delight - really really loud on your phones. Alternatively, for musicians and music historians, this is one to dissect bar by bar and to see where today's funk and R&B-influenced electronica is coming from. Highly Recommended.
