Customer Reviews

Juicy Fruit (Dig) (Rpkg)

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Almost as long as I can remember,reading about Isaac Hayes long discography or reviews for this album online this probably gone down as the one album by him that seems to inspire the most haters. That isn't what drew me to it however. Since most of those reviews contained the word "disco" and often insulting remarks thereafter,this sounded like something I wanted to know more about. Unfortunately the album wasn't on CD for the longest time. And due to it's middling reputation it wasn't even something I was expecting to see outside it's usual presence as a mainstay in used vinyl LP culture. Finally a couple years back Stax issued this album on CD in the US and,as it's turned out it's become a reduced price item as of this writing. That and my perception of what I was hearing about it had be take the plunge. And after hearing it I am not only NOT disappointed but downright thrilled!

In many ways this album is actually quite superior to Groove-A-Thon. One of the things I've constantly heard about Isaac Hayes is the strange comparisons to Barry White. They aren't even the same type of artists really-deep voices and cinematic production aside. But Barry White wouldn't in fact be a bad reference point to describe this music actually. From the title track with it's extended monologue to "The Storm Is Over","Music To Make Love By" and "Thank You Love" this album actually toughens up the grooves,to make them somewhat funkier but slickens the production true. The result is hook filled sophisticated dance funk all the way,with Ike's usual romantic flavor. Though as stated the ballads here are important. Again the slickness defines them on "Let's Don't Ever Blow Our Thing" and especially the pointed "Lady Of The Night",the tale of a widower on the rebound attempting to actually reform a prostitute into a chaste and committed romantic interest. The album ends with "Love Me Or Lose Me",actually one of the thickest and phattest dance/funk numbers I heard Hayes do in mid 70's.

This album represents to me a perfect example of why reviews,even from non critics can often steer you wrong on many instances. And why they need an equal amount of counterpoints. This album isn't exactly the type of music you'd hear on Hayes' earlier Stax albums or even the ones from a year or two prior to this. The grooves were changing and so was the music. And Ike picked up on this without worrying too much about reputation. Production wise it's no secret his music was laying the groundwork for the most soulful and funky end of the disco sound going as far back as Shaft). And in all honesty this album is one of his more fuller representations of his effect on the dancefloor. The uptempo songs actually have a pretty good range and variety. And the ballads both offer a sense of lyrical depth to make things all the more interesting. So I'd recommend one keeps an open mind and listen to this album for themselves. They might just find it difficult to put down.

This album represents exactly the great work of this missed artist. It may not be his best album but it is definitely very good. If you like Isaac Hayes you must get your copy of this album.

With Stax records failing in the mid-70s, Isaac Hayes created his own Hot Buttered Soul label with distribution through ABC. Across four albums he traded in his languorous soul sound for a funkier disco vibe and often focused more on instrumental dance grooves than his considerable talent as an interpretive vocalist. Fortunately, this 1976 release finds Hayes mixing up the disco jams with soul ballads and mid-tempo numbers that feature sharp arrangements. Unfortunately, Hayes earlier reconstructions of pop and soul hits supported their length with top-flight songwriting, and the originals he offers here simply aren't as memorable. Worse, the disco flourishes have aged poorly. The crooning "Lady of the Night," verges on overwrought, but still provides the album's highlight; but even that wasn't enough to garner chart interest. Those new to Hayes' catalog should start with his Stax albums (especially Hot Buttered Soul), fans should check this one out for the ballads. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

This 1976 release was among Isaac Hayes' weakest albums. It's only high point is the steamy ballad "Lady Of The Night"(which is not one of Hayes' best ballads but its lyrical fare is quite interesting!). The Disco tracks are totally devoid of the elegant and lush orchestrations that helped define his classic Stax releases and give one the impression that Hayes was desperately trying to conquer the Disco market (which obviously did not happen). It's also worth noting that this album was very poorly promoted by ABC Records (which would soon go out of business anyway) and, as such, it went nowhere. If you are an Isaac Hayes completist you will probably enjoy this CD but know that it doesn't hold a candle to such Hayes masterpieces as "Hot Buttered Soul", "To Be Continued", "Black Moses", "Joy" or "The Isaac Hayes Movement".