Inspiration Information

This is more soft jazz than anything else. Very enjoyable listen, even if it doesn't really stick with you.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

really expected to like this more than i did. it had a lot of potential to be a good funk album leaned way to heavily into the soul aspect for my taste

Ikke så mye inspirasjon eller informasjon. Syns tittelsporet lovet veldig bra, men så gikk det over i helt ålreit smørsang på de to neste låtene. "Aht Uh Mi Hed" likte jeg godt nok til å legge i en liste, mens resten av plata er bare litt testing av Yamaha stueorgel? Synd "Strawberry Letter 23" ikke er med på originalplata.

My enjoyment of this album may have been hindered by the fact that I listened to it on my commute to work, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I don't know what it is about this week. I have just been extraordinarily tired on my drive to work the last few days.

I regret to inform Mr. Shuggie Otis that I heard his (admittedly cute) album under these circumstances. But I found it just a bit too soft for me. Soft like a cold pillow. A pillow I could rest my head on and close my eyes. I just wanted to drift into slumberland and drive my car into a ditch.

Slick as hell. I loved listening to this.

Pretty good jazz album with some highlights, no strong feelings nor complaints. 3/5

I wasn't big on most of the songs as a whole, but many of them featured musically interesting breakdowns that I was pretty into.

"Strawberry Letter 23" is an unabashed classic, and I liked listening to all of this, but this record has a saggy middle.

This really opened and was set up for a great album but its struggles. Too many uninteresting instrumentals and some songs just landed flat. 2.5/5. Raising to a 3.

I found this really dull, almost lift music-esque in the main. Way too peripheral with little to anchor the songs or to solicit your attention, aside from the odd funky/groovy guitar lick here and there. The songs with vocals were mildly more engaging, but in the same way as giving plain tofu a slight modicum of flavour by grinding a bit of salt over it.

It's such a good vibe listening to this one. Loooove the grooves. I think it could've been a little moore, but it's still awesome for what it iis. Good 4.

Strong start, but gets a bit muzaky.

The first half goes down as smoothly as saccharine sliding down my throat. Long on my „Need to check out” list, this generator finally did me the favor of listening to a Shuggie Otis record in full. And what can I say – there is some incredible stuff on Inspiration Information. The beat is super tight; and man, do the choruses hit hard.

Which brings me to my main point of criticism. Aside from the closer, Not Available, the instrumentals that make up side two don’t do much for me (they sound a bit like filler material meant to make this a proper album length). I love the odd Happy House, but after that I couldn’t connect much with the songs anymore.

But I mean, to have such a great side A alone is well worth your time. I will surely revisit this often. And wait, did Shuggie Otis play most of the instruments himself? I guess in this instance you can really tell that talent runs deep in the family.

It’s a very nice 5.

The Wikipedia page for this album mentions some positive comparisons to Stevie Wonder & Marvin Gaye, and while I don’t quite hear as much of Stevie, I certainly hear a bit of Marvin. The funk & groove this thing gives off feels like a softer version of what Marvin was doing on “Let’s Get It On”, but it still contains just as much soul behind it. The first half of the album feels really nice, and even though sometimes the lyrics get a little strange, the vocals more than lift them up to help sell the mood. It’s made me get even more frustrated by that fucking “Nixon” album we got the other day, as this album succeeds brilliantly at letting its instrumentals guide the mood of each track without some cumbersome vocals getting in the way. Shuggie Otis, who I’ve never heard of before today, played just about every instrument & composed every song here, along with taking lead vocals, & his talent shines through really nicely. His only crime is that his vocals are just a little quiet at points, but I feel like that’s an intentional choice.

The back half of the album is almost entirely instrumental, and it’s in those moments where this album’s full ability to capture a vibe reveals itself. They fly by wonderfully, and they all sound as satisfying as a good night’s sleep. My only real nitpick with the back half is that I think the album should’ve ended on “Pling!”, as it could have kept going for another 2-3 minutes without missing a beat. “Pling!” feels like modern day vaporwave, which is kind of impressive for 1974, and it really is just a delight to sit in. “Not Available” didn’t feel as satisfying by comparison, though it’s still got a good funk to it.

Ultimately, it’s an album that you just have to hear to really get it, and I’m very glad that I did hear it. It’s a shame that Shuggie seemingly got in his own way after this album & has only made one since, given the attempts to success handed to him on a silver platter that he apparently just kept turning down. I mean, seriously; a chance to tour with the Rolling Stones & have an album produced by Quincy Jones at his peak, and you turn them BOTH down? That’s financial malpractice. Regardless, I’m glad this is here on the list for it to get some well-deserved flowers, and I think it’s a pretty easy 5.

Did not enjoy to my surprise.

This is the funkiest elevator I’ve ever been trapped in.

Es wirkt es stellenweise wie ein überambitioniertes Klangexperiment, das sich in seiner eigenen Trägheit verliert. Der Groove, der eigentlich das Rückgrat des Funk und Soul jener Ära bildet, bleibt hier seltsam blutleer. Statt mitreißender Rhythmen und pulsierender Energie gibt es schleppende Beats, die eher einschläfern als mitreißen.

Some cool moments, but quite uneven.

3.5/5

Seriously? More techno jazz funk without any words? And it's not even innovative? How many more of these can there be???

The instrumentals were good, but I kinda felt like it was too much, as in the guy has a nice voice and I would've loved to hear more vocals than instrumentals. The album is really nice though and might listen to again from time to time.