By the 1980s Donald Byrd had long since crossed the line where he was seen as a pariah in purist jazz circles; his 70s work with the Mizzell Brothers cemented that particular fate. For me, though, this was just another string in the great man's bow and after those classic Blue Note albums Donald switched to Elektra for a run of seriously soulful, jazzy and funky sets which include “Love Byrd” which was released in 1981. The weekenders would have been a poorer phenomenon if not for tracks like “Thank You For Funking Up My Life” and “Loving You”, and 1981 saw more essential tunes from this jazz veteran. Isaac Hayes, fresh from his tenure at Polydor produced this and the following set in 1982, and created a sexy, sophisticated and, ultimately, more soulful experience than hitherto known. I choose this album as it contains, for me, my favourite songs of Byrd's Elektra sessions. Jazz purists had already buried the man's career in 1978 and the opening notes of “Love Has Come Around” would not only have hammered the final nail in the coffin, but would have shattered the whole darn thing! My God, this is one hell of a funky, soulful dancer and if ever your spirits are low and need of raising then a track such as this is the best medicine I can think of! Once a good'un always a good'un! Superb as that is as a dancer, I move onto what has to be one of the sexiest and most essential tracks recorded in the 1980s: “I Feel Like Loving You Today”. This is Isaac Hayes at his most brilliant best. The rumbling, deep bass line, timbales and strings pave the way to a sensuous vocal with Mr. Hayes and Hot Buttered Soul in complete control. Once Donald's soulful trumpet kicks in I am totally floored. Beautiful soul music, unbeatable. I like the Chic feel that overtakes the rhythm part way through too. Simply lovely. Another star pick for the dancers is the brilliant “I Love Your Love” which plays out like a funky 70s Stevie Wonder jam at the start and melts into a killer soulful dancer of the highest order. Essential, and now available on CD at a reasonable price!
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
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