Customer Reviews

Sun Goddess

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

to this day is one of the BEST instrumentals on the planet with its gorgeous melody & sleek groove. Ramsey Lewis, a master keyboardist and jazz legend in his own right combines forces with the "elements" to make this musical gem. Not only does EWF lend an unforgettable vocal melody, with Maurice and Phillip on percussion, Verdine and Johnny Graham on guitar, Don Myrick on sax and Charles Stepney on fender rhodes, "Sun Goddess" is the epitome of a classic jazz masterpiece. The drumming on this track is amazing as all other solos (check out Myrick's sax and Verdine's bass...too funky!) "Sun Goddess" is 8 1/2 minutes of bliss.

The seventies vibe continues flowing with "Living for the City". The S.Wonder interpretation is laced heavily with rhodes and a punchy string arrangement by Richard Evans. "Love Song" features Cleveland Eaton on upright and fender bass while Ramsey puts in serious work on all 4 kinds of keys as well as guitar. The horns and strings on this track add just the right flavor. "Jungle Strut" is a fun track that showcases the playful verbal antics of Derf Rehlew Raheem, adding African ryhthmic sound effects and dialect. "How Dawgit", like the title track was produced by Maurice White and features the smooth vocals of Phillip Bailey. "Tambura" has a spacey feel to it with its sound effects and percussive arrangement. Kinda brings the image of Bootsy Collins en route to the moon to mind. "Gemini Rising" is another great track on which Maurice Jennings drumming and C.Eaton's bass playing stand out, especially on the solos within the song. Ramseys keys ride the track smoothly.

Overall Sun Goddess is a great CD for jazz lovers or anyone who wants to slip back down memory lane and relax in the mid 70's. Go ahead and put those platforms, bell bottoms, sunglasses and apple caps Right On!

CLB.

The title track alone, with its anthem-like quality and stellar contributions from Earth, Wind & Fire members, makes this disc worth owning. "Love Song" is another highlight for those who enjoy Love Unlimited Orchestra-style string arrangements. "Gemini Rising" should appeal to those who appreciate Chick Corea & Return To Forever's more experimental '70s work. In just seven tracks, the CD encompasses a broad mix of immediately accessible and less accessible styles.

Classic Fender piano sound of the seventies along with the sensational vocals of Earth Wind & Fire. Other tracks combine all the thrills of good jazz/funk musicians to accomplish a really polished album. Never a dull moment!

Ramsey Lewis, whose work as a "conventional" jazz pianist had been unremarkable, found in jazz-funk a medium through which he was able to create a work of singular genius, albeit with the aid of the well-seasoned White brothers, Maurice and Verdine, of Earth, Wind and Fire. Sun Goddess stands not only as a prime candidate for the best jazz-funk album ever, but as an example of the realms jazz musicians could have explored in the 70s had they taken the possibilities of jazz-funk more seriously.

Ramsey Lewis took jazz-funk to another realm. To single out a track for discussion would threaten to fragment the continuous experience of the album. But perhaps unavoidably one must mention the extreme oddity of "Tambura", which stands alone as an almost ridiculous exercise in grandiloquence, and yet emerges as an engrossing, perfectly constructed electric sound event. There is something in the funk that resides in nothing else, and this album captures it.

the title cut was recorded with my favorite group of all-time earth,wind&fire.the brillant and under-rated maurice white and mr. lewis get down on this one.the rest of the album is tight.mr. lewis is bad on the keys just as he is still today.

What more can be said about this recording. I wish I was present in the recording process.

I had so much fun listening to this CD! The music was excellent quality and I am happy to say that it arrived in a timely manner. Looking forward to my next purchase.

I was reading that the model for Sun Goddess was Susan Scott, who it happens was my neighbor growing up for a number of years. She was a very nice person as well as a beautiful girl. Growing up all she ever wanted to be was a model. I was happy when I learned years ago that her dream of modelling had come true!

Used to have this album and lost it over the years. Saw Earth Wind & Fire recently and they reminded me of how much I enjoyed them on this album. Sun Goddess turned me on to Jazz and I have never looked back.

I have this cd when it came out in the 90's as a cd and was pleased to see it was a 2008 edition with blu spec mastering from Japan. But alas it's NOT. it's the same version that I already have and the vinyl original version is still the best. Why say it's a 2008 digital remaster when it's not.