Isaac Hayes: Branded - 1995

A ”comeback” album some twenty-five years or so after his recording peak, this is a nice mix of funk and "let’s get it on baby" seduction fare. 

Life’s Mood is a delicious funk ‘n’ strings instrumental - bass, brass, wah-wah and sweeping strings. It merges seamlessly into a sublime, soulful cover of Sting’s Fragile. The rhythmic instrumental vibe continues into Life’s Mood II. All sumptuous, classy stuff. It is the best passage of tracks on the album. Summer In The City is a typically funky Hayes cover of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s sixties song. Wah-wahs to the fore. Time to head for the bedroom, maybe? 

Let Me Love You does the lurrvin’ business, Barry White-style, complete with loverman spoken vocal. In fact it never gets above whispering pace throughout the song. “Let me traverse your peaks and valleys” growls Isaac. “Let me give you the ride of your life”. Indeed. Slow funk is back on the tough grind but still seductive I’ll Do Anything To Turn You On. 

Thanks To The Fool is another Barry White-esque semi-spoken growler of a confessional track. It is time Isaac upped the beat a bit and he does it on the attractively funky Branded. The track acts as a bit of an antidote to all that breathy bedroom fare. It features a great bit of wah-wah, drum and saxophone interplay in the middle too. The last two tracks are re-workings of old tracks - the gospelly Soulsville and the extended, bassy funk of Hyper.... which adds a contemporary rap but is as good as it ever was. Check out the break in the middle, great stuff. A good funk ‘n’ smooch album, this one.