Say It With Silence

Nothing too silent here, as the set's filled with the kind of soulful fusion grooves we'd expect from Hubert Laws in the 70s! The album's a real standout in his Columbia catalog – a perfectly balanced set that features plenty of great work from Hubert on flute, amidst arrangements that also have a bit of a groove on most numbers – never too smooth, nor too commercial – and very much in the spirit of Bobbi Humphrey's excellent late 70s sides for the label. As with those records, there's a bit of vocals here – sung in a lovely way by Debra and Eloise Laws – and there's also a bit of strings here, but used sparingly to match the sweetly stepping rhythms.

James Brown - Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud (1969) {Universal Music Japan Mini LP UICY-9292 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 236 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 9 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969, 2003 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-9292 | Cardboard Sleeve | 24bit remastering
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Funky Jam

Limited to 5000 copies. Paper sleeve. SAY IT LOUD - I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD was James Brown's initial album release for 1969, as KING 5-1047 in stereo within a gatefold jacket. It was preceded by A SOULFUL CHRISTMAS and followed by GETTIN' DOWN TO IT, his great jazzy album backed by The Dee Felice Trio. It was also released simultaneously in England, France, Germany and Spain. In 1990 it was available for the first time on CD from Japan, and later had a US release in 1996. That's the version I would recommend, I'm not sure that the Japanese imports have the track info and liner notes in English.

The Isley Brothers are back. The legendary R&B group has released their new album, Make Me Say It Again, Girl via RI Top Ten. The album includes the lead single “Friends and Family” featuring Snoop Dogg and its follow-up, “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” featuring Beyoncé. The latter tune, which is a reimagined version of their 1975 classic, recently peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.

The female-led discodelic soul band Say She She, named as a silent nod to Nile Rodgers (C’est chi-chi!: It's Chic!”), release their sophomore album Silver on the heels of an epic break-out year that grows brighter by the day.

The female-led discodelic soul band Say She She, named as a silent nod to Nile Rodgers (C’est chi-chi!: It's Chic!”), release their sophomore album Silver on the heels of an epic break-out year that grows brighter by the day.

Ever since Michael Tilson Thomas and Ralph Grierson made the first recording of Stravinsky’s four-hand reduction of The Rite of Spring in 1967 for EMI, a good number of piano duetists have taken up the work’s challenges on disc. This latest offering features Fazil Say, who shares the spotlight with himself via studio multitracking. Say essentially sticks to what Stravinsky wrote, while fleshing out the piano textures with effective octave doublings, registral changes, and an occasional added bass note in the Danse Sacrale.

The female-led discodelic soul band Say She She, named as a silent nod to Nile Rodgers (C’est chi-chi!: It's Chic!”), release their sophomore album Silver on the heels of an epic break-out year that grows brighter by the day.