Customer Reviews

Heritage

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been an EWF fan from way back & remember thinking as a teenager "I AM" was the best album I had ever heard (at least up until then!). I have re-visited this album as I taped it from a friend back in the 90s & have been listening to it in the car. The songs are an improvement from post "I AM" albums setting up a great grove in your head to sing along to. What spoils it is the production with over emphasis on drum machines, keyboards & was that MC Hammer! It would be great for EWF to re-record the album in 'true' EWF style, real percussion, real horns, 'proper' vocals etc. If you are an EWF fan its probably worth a purchase second hand - at least to have in the car!

"Heritage" contains three excellent songs-the ultra-funky
"Takin' Chances","King Of Groove" and "Motor".But unless ultra-
processed,cereal aisle-like drum machines and silly rap guests
cluttering the album is your idea of soul STEER CLEAR.The bands
1987 release "Touch The World" and..oh well even 1983's commercialy disastorous "Electric Universe" are far more artistically successful then this.Highly dissappointing.

E.W.F going for more contemporary street sound on this effort which is cool for the younger crowd but for people that have grown up on this group .. this album is a dissappointment at best.. The problem here a lot of songs just lacking they dont have that same E.W.F feel to them as their earlier work.. What else that has been missing out their later work is the sprituality message that played a vital part in their earlier material

But this album does have some pretty nice moments

Coming on these tracks

Daydreamin

I'm In Love

King of Groove

Anything You want

but the rest of the disc is a pretty weak attempt at trying to watch the younger listeners ..

I enjoyed this album and on occassion, I pull it out and give it a listen. This is EWF's attempt to capture a certain trend in music at that time in late 1989 and early 1990 and unfortunatley, it didn't work. I understand what the thinking was. Try and attract a younger audience by doing a few tracks with the biggest selling rapper out at that time, MC Hammer and the bubblegum group, The Boys. This album could've done without "Wanna Be The Man" which I feel is the weakest track. The best tracks are the interlude "Close To Home" which is closely followed by what I think is one of EWF's best performances, "Daydreaming". The ballad "Anything You Want" is one Maurice's best performances. Phillip shines brightly on "I'm In Love". "Good Time" featuring Sly Stone is a jumpy tune. "Welcome" has that classic EWF flavor which would've been a great final live track if it was part of their stage show. Overall "Heritage" and it's title track is an enjoyable album, but it could've been better without the 2 tracks with Hammer.

This album made me become a fan of EWF, because my father had the album when it came out. MC Hammer was kinda of wack, but the rest of the songs were tight. This album is not that commercial, because the whispers did the same thing on their 1990 album "More Of The Night," these album are very similar.

I love the title track! I was 9 years old, when this cd came out and am now 24 years old. My point is, that fifteen years ago, this cd made me bust a move and it still does now.

now this is my favorite group.the genius of maurice white,&phillip Bailey is on display here.they are my Jagger&richards.the song good time with one of the greatest funkateers and greatest artists ever Sly Stone is tight.anything you want features a great vocal by Maurice White.daydreamin' is classic EWF.welcome has the signature sound and i love the intro for Soweto.but the downside is Hammer.The boys saying earth,wind&flames? the album was supposed to be a make up for Touch the World sounding too pop.some things work and some things don't.

Already having my hands on every previous EWF album, this was the first I bought after buying my first CD player-- so it tended to get a LOT of play. And I've heard from various sources that this was a "disappointing" album-- but you couldn't tell by me! "Takin' Chances" was one of my TOP fave songs for some time, while "King Of Groove" seemed to me a tip-of-the-hat to Prince, who'd done some similar work on the then-recent BATMAN soundtrack (think "Party Man"). But it was the duets that REALLY caught me off-guard. If there's ONE thing I absolutely HATE, it's "rap". It isn't merely the usual lack of any melody whatsoever or the nasty and often profane lyrics-- it's that 99 and 9/10ths of it all sounds EXACTLY the same!! My Dad (a part-time musician who turned 80 last year) once commented how he could see someone "talking" as part of a recording-- just not ALL of it. And along comes EWF's HERITAGE, on which they duet with M.C. Hammer (and others) and combine the talking segments with some of the coolest-sounding modern-day jazz bits I've ever run across!! As a result, "Wanna Be The Man" (and it's intro, "Bird") show what COULD be done --and tragically almost never is.

I agree that this album could have done without the antics of Hammer (and Maurice was not down with that, Sony WAS), however I still LOVED IT!! The title cut an innovative effort with The boys that played well. All of the interludes were fantastic (I especially liked Soweto and Faith). But the songs that play over and over in my spirit are "Anything you Want," where Maurice made love to my eardrums ever so sweetly. "Daydreamin'" featured the friendly duelling vocals of White and Philip Bailey, nice strings supporting along with the legendary EWF Horns... and "Welcome," where Verdine does his thing on that BASS that sends chills down my spine.

I own every EWF album and not a one disappoints... until they're over. This may not be one of EWF's greatest efforts, but it's one you will find yourself playing over and over if your not careful.

Although I will admit there was a constant artificial quality to the whole album, a sort of "old band tries something new one more time" the more I listened to it the more I enjoyed it. There is a funky and farreaching quality to the music of EWF that tracends time, even with this album. I will admit though that rap is often easily dated because of the change in rythm styles as this type of music develops more and more, so listening to Hammer's renditions out loud where others could here these somewhat stale sounds and simplistic rythms dated me also. Sorry to be embarrased.

HERITAGE is really a bad CD with a few interesting highlights! Maurice White tried to incorporate musical styles & performers that were 'hot' at this time (M.C.Hammer, The Boys-W.T.F ??), and the group suffered with this project!! Talk about SERIOUS regrets huh?? Also, having Sly Stone as a guest (oh my!!).

All in all, 'Heritage' does have it's bright moments such as 'I'm In Love', 'Anything You Want', and 'Daydreamin', but overall it had to grow on me!! The musical interludes are great (as usual), but they can't rescue the entire CD. Being a serious EWF fan, I decided to remaster 'Heritage' and include 2 BONUS TRACKS - 'Gotta Find Out' (B-Side of the single 'Heritage') & 'One World', a rare track from the 'Music Speaks Louder Than Words' benefit CD (1990, Epic). Note to EWF fans out there - If you'd like to remaster 'Heritage', consider adding these 2 Bonus Tracks. I doubt that Sony / Legacy will!
Peace, SD
(of 'Chakas World')