Customer Reviews

Tribute to Earth Wind & Fire

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

 

 

Great new renditions of the songs we know and love -- Larry, Sheldon and "Mo Pleasure" have put their own personal stamp on their interpretations of the songs -- Alpha is definitely one of the songs that make you hit the replay button almost even before it's over because it commands your full attention -- if you never "felt" a song before, you will after listening to this Devoted Spirits album! Get it, buy it, cherish it as it is a timeless journey thru the elements and you will enjoy listening to new interpretations of classics from EW&F! I'm a conguero and play to this CD -- I think there's a calling for a Devoted Spirits II album w/ conga's next -- call me! :-)

As a musician and life-long EWF fan, I was a little skeptical about the this CD BEFORE I bought it -but upon listening for the first time, I was thrilled with music. Sheldon, Larry and Morris bring to this album the same spirit and musicality that they have given audiences around the world while performing with EWF in concert - fresh, new interpretations of the music. One of the reasons I enjoyed attending EWF shows in the past was to listen to the new arrangements of the songs. Unlike many artists who go out and perform in concert each song note for note from the record, the audience was treated to something new, while still retaining the essence and magic of the original recording. The same holds true for Devoted Spirits - the music is fresh, alive and retains the spirit that to date, no other artists have been able to capture when playing EWF songs.

Any true Earth Wind and Fire Fan would recognize how wonderful the "Devoted Spirits" cd is. Larry Dunn, Sheldon Reynolds, and Morris Pleasure put their years of experience with Earth Wind and Fire together to pay tribute to them, by recording a fresh, innovative interpretation of songs that they themselves love and helped create or took to a another level through live concert performances. There are many who appreciated and accepted Sheldon's lead vocal talent in live concerts, so it was true pleasure to hear how expressive his vocals are and the vocal range he has on this tribute. Larry Dunn is revered as an origanal member of EWF and so his contribution to this CD is as he would want it to be or one would not see him take the time to be involved. The multi-instrumentalist, Morris Pleasure completes this trinity bringing forth his vision from his years as music director for EWF. Sheldon co wrote the Grammy nominated song "Sunday Morning" with Maurice White and Allee Smith. On the tribute, Sheldon's vocals coupled with the saxaphone of Gerald Albright is delightful. The other guest that appear on this cd, including former and original EWF member Johnny Graham,recreates and innovates his classic guitar solo on That's the Way of the World. EWF Horns saxaphonist Gary Bias adds sultry flavor to "After the Love Is Gone". It is obvious that a lot of love went into this tribute cd. It will provide lots of listening enjoyment.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this Earth, Wind & Fire inspired cd, dedicated to the legacy of a wonderful band. The songs are inspiring, and it sure felt good to hear some of the original members. This has truly been a worthwhile purchase.

DEVOTED SPIRITS: A TRIBUTE TO EARTH WIND AND FIRE is an exciting, spirit lifting compulation of everyone's EWF favorites, if you can even break their music down into actual favorites, celebrating the original music with the added rhythm and funk of SR, LD, JG and SE. To hear and feel the love and talent of Mr Maurie White and all of the members, past and present, of EWF, will leave you with a song in your heart and soul that can carry you through a day, in my case a lifetime. This CD brings warmth, love, sunshine, funk, god time , good music and positivity along with EWF's personality, funk and innovative musicianship. It makes me want to buy one for all of my friends and family. What a wonderful gift of music. I was very pleasantly surprised because I was not sure I knew what I was buying but it said EWF and that was good for me. Wow!!! It is a great gift to have as I await the release of their latest CD.

Thank God for all of the members of EWF because their music has been with me a life time, they lift my spirit and make me smile. I love you Guys.

the great larry dunn sent me a copy of devoted spirits cd and i was blown away [big ups].ive heard many remakes of classic ewf songs(some were ok),but this blew all my expectations out of the the water....im looking for a volume 2............

I too was a little skeptical about this purchase, considering it was a Tribute and not the actual group. I for one believe the only band who can pull off E,W,&F, is EW&F. Forgive my ignorance for not reading who the performers were. From the first song to the last, Sheldon, Larry, and Morris, did their homework on this project, and it shows. As a session musician (drummer) I was blown away but their level of playing. Sheldon's rendition of Fantasy even brought my wife back into the listening room. They close out with an updated funk version of Faces....wow!!!. In short, to keep the peace in this house, I'm buying one for my 17 year old and one for my 12 year old;the music is that great. I wish I knew what the music the gentleman who gave the negetive comment was listening to. My friends,Devoted Spirits is a must have for your Earth, Wind, & Fire Collection.

I thought this CD was a complete waste of time. The arrangements of classic EWF songs were ho-hum and boring.
This was nothing but a "vanity project" for Sheldon Reynolds, a former member of Earth, Wind & Fire who joined the group after Al McKay and Johnny Graham left. The group had done their best work by then, so Sheldon never brought anything original to the table. I thought Larry Dunn (one of the original members) would have done more playing on this CD, seeing as how he contributed to the magic that once made EWF great. Sheldon limited Larry to playing on only a couple of tunes. That was a mistake. Please don't waste any money of this bulls**t. Invest your hard earned cash in purchasing the original Earth, Wind & Fire CDs.