Branded [Import]

Isaac Hayes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 1995)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B000000W7I
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,793 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one "brand" that we all should possess!, August 16, 2001

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Branded (Audio CD)

Possessing one of the most distinctive voices in recorded music history, Hayes's "Branded" is a cool collection of up-tempo tracks and mellow ballads. Mixing his traditional and passionate love songs (such tracks as "Thanks to the Fool," and "Soulsville," a remake of his classic from "Shaft") with funky jams (a reworking of "Summer in the City" and "I'll Do Anything (To Turn You On," to name a few), Hayes shows what made him an icon of the 70's and 80's and a sought after "voice" frequently heard today.

Each of the first four songs that start the album segues into each other, making for an extended fourteen-minute masterpiece, containing Sting's "Fragile," performed in a manner that only Hayes could do. The presentation is a triumph of vocal and instrumental arranging. This release is the companion piece to "Raw & Refined," released the same year. Both complement each other and are essentials for fans of the artist.

Why he is not a continued presence on the music charts is one of the great mysteries of the new millennium.

4.0 out of 5 stars Isaac's 1995 comeback CD features some real gems., August 7, 2010

By 

Justo Roteta (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Branded (Audio CD)

By the time Isaac Hayes signed with Virgin Records and released this comeback CD in 1995, he really had nothing to prove. This CD has quite a few highlights but your real reason for buying it is Isaac's stunningly-beautiful remake of Sting's "Fragile"--a version so beautiful that it should have become a Quiet Storm classic.

4.0 out of 5 stars Black Moses Returns, June 29, 2010

By 

Brian J. Flax "The Ambassador" (Oakland Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Branded (Audio CD)

I hate to do it... i want so badly to give Uncle Isaac 5 stars as i always do but i cant.

The album is a great album to own..and in many ways it shows Ike coming full circle.. reuniting with his former songwriting partner David Porter for "Thanks To The Fool" and slipping into a classic rap before singing his heart out.

As well as re visiting 2 songs that were very much apart of his 2 defining moments in his Career

The Remake of "Hyperbolicstllabicsesquedelymistic" From his ground breaking album "Hot Buttered Soul" that revolutionized soul music and the music industry as a whole especially concerning Black Artist.

And "Soulsville" from what is Probably his Most Notable Defining moment "The SHAFT Soundtrack"

My other personal favorites on the album are "I'll Do Anything (To Turn You On)" and The Title Track Branded.

Me being a Isaac Hayes Finatic i couldnt help but notice that there was a slight decline in his vocal presence.. i believe that he had Suffered a stroke before this album or not long after it.

The other problem i have is with the song "Hyperbolic"... i wouldnt doubt that the tempo was sped up so that Legendary Rapper Chuck D could drop his rap verse but it seems as if Ike is struggling to keep up with the tempo.

Overall considering that Ike had been away from the music scene for so long with the exception of his numerous greatest hits compilations and collections this was a damn good and very succesful attempt at a comeback and showed very impressive sales figures and received critical praise.

One critic called it "A Return To Form"

Although in my eyes there are a few faults on this album i still say it is a must have in your collection.. it shows Ike walking the comeback trail and once again making the world stand up and take notice.. one of many succesful comebacks Ike would have in his Career.

Isaac Hayes was and still is one of my biggest influences and my favorite Artist.

If some asked me to name one artist in the music industry that i would want to be like.. that was a prime example of everything i want to be and do in the business.. without hesitation i would say Isaac Hayes.(Rest In Peace)