Hot Buttered Soul

Right from the jump this is an AMAZING headphone album. The layering of sound, the organ and guitar competing in seperate channels, and the ebb and flow of dynamics in Walk on By is just an unbeatable sonic experience. The party continues through Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, then Isaac slows everything down for side B, into what can only be described as his patented "fucking music". The man is a deserved legend and this release is a perfect example of why.

Chef sure knows how to sing

i cannot stop thinking about chef from south park singing this.

all seriousness though, this is a phenomenal album. i was a bit wary at first, 4 songs, 40+ minutes is not an easy sell. having “walk on by” as the opener was such a great decision. i think i still prefer dionne warwicks over this, but i’ll be damned if this isn’t a phenomenal cover. feels like a totally different song. my only “gripe” with this is the long monologue on “by the time i get to phoenix” i understand its place in the song, but it does hamper the replay value for me personally.

I didn’t think I would like this but I did and would listen to this again. Walk on by was fantastic. Really good music

Favourite song: walk on by
Least favourite: all good songs
Album artwork: great

Kunne ret godt lide den her.. 4 sange, men de var super fede.

It’s good but that talking on the last track was too much. 2.75

Way more than just a good time.

The first three songs are amazing. Just so good and funky. That last one drags on forever. I can't see myself throwing this album on again knowing that 20 minutes is waiting for me at the end. It would have been an easy 5 without that.

I didn't really care for this, but not because I thought it was bad; I thought there was some good stuff for the genre, I just don't care for this style of music that much. 2.5/5

Det blir lite väl sliskigt och segt emellanåt men när det är bra är det riktigt bra.

I like Isaac Hayes very much. Good voice and fine soul. I was surprised to learn, that he played the Duke in Carpenters Escape from New York.

Started really well, but By the Time I get to Phoenix is not a particularly good song.

Ein ruhiges und intensives Blues Album. Es eignet sich nach einem stressigen Tag als Entspannungs- oder Einschlafhilfe. Sauberes Werk ohne Höhen und Tiefen.

Solid record. Classic Isaac Hayes. Musicianship is excellent, I love the grooves on this one. Arrangements are great. Wonderful voice on this man. By The Time I Get To Phoenix kind of starts off slow but picks up about hlafway through and finishes strong. I actually liked the shorter version better.
Not a 5 star record, but a solid 3.5. Rounding up to 4 for the awesome sounding drums on this album.

Extended soul funk jams with the smoothest baritone vocals you'll hear, some ripping guitar lines, and a full on set of arrangements. I feel like this one is relatively overlooked and underrated, probably bc the song lengths make it very radio unfriendly and it doesn't have the tight pop song-writing of other soul singers' best work, but the performances are amazing and they really nail what they're going for in terms of setting a mood.

Great voice, but I’d rather hear him singing than talking. Sorry Chef.

Smooth, easy listening, some sexy times music. Didn't love it, 1*. Not about that 18 minute song.
3-5*: albums I actually enjoyed to varying degree.

This is a real weird album, real hit and miss. The tracks are way too long and over-indulgent, and they start to get repetitive and grate after a while, especially when so much is instrumental.

The 18 minute track is 9 minutes of completely uninteresting talking, 9 minutes of great track that slowly builds into something with real energy.

One Woman was reeeeal nice - why couldn't they all be 5 minute tracks? I love all the instrumentation on here: keys, sweeping violins, wind instruments, chimes, backing chorus - and of course the big man's incredible voice. It's very dramatic and big and I love it.

On that note, I should say I'm reviewing this album without the single edits (so the original album). The single of Walk On By works SO much better. If they'd have trimmed the rest it would have improved this immensely.

For me this is an album with two sides, both figuratively and literally.

Side A is 'Walk On By' and 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.' This is the absolute top of soulful and grooving music ever made. Isaac's baritone voice is the extra layer on top of it. 'Walk On By' is the best version of this Burt Bacharach song I've ever heard and even though 12 minutes, it doesn't bore for a second.
'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic' brings the funk to the album, and together with the pressing piano is a musical masterpiece that can't continue long enough for me. That bass combined with the the impelling drums that bring the song to orgasmic heights.

Side B, even though really good on its own, really can't stand in the shadow of Side A. 'One Woman' is Isaac Hayes on the romantic tour. It's a good song, but not outstanding.
'By the Time I get to Phoenix' suffers from a much too long uninteresting intro of Hayes talking over the music. But he's no Gil Scott-Heron and it takes a full 8 minutes for the song to finally go. When it does it's marvellous though. Those heavenly horns and strings.

So, a full 5* for Side A and a 3,5* for Side B will make this a 4*

Genrensä klassikko, eikä syyttä. 4/5, voisen pehmeää.