Music Review

Inspiration Information

EW's GRADE
A-

Details Lead Performance: Shuggie Otis; Genre: R&B

When it comes to '70s soul visionaries, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, and Marvin Gaye spring to mind. But for a startling memory-jogger, proceed to the reissue of this lost 1974 treasure. Like Wonder, the self-reliant, sweet-voiced, then-17-year-old Otis is on every track, stirring up soul, jazzy chords, psychedelia, and studio ingenuity into a tasty, weird mix. You'll recognize ''Strawberry Letter 23,'' which became the Brothers Johnson smash. Everything else, like all great music, sounds familiar and otherworldly.

Originally posted May 04, 2001 Published in issue #594 May 04, 2001 Order article reprints
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