Some albums are just make you want to pick up a fender jazz bass you haven't touched in years and pluck it in front of your small children. This is one of those albums. While doing housework today I put this meaty masterpiece on by #curtismayfield and little butts were shaking while dad was dusting. It's one of those albums that usually yields a "why don't I play this more?" revelation. I was reading the back liner notes while the cd player was loading and I realised this disc was released the year I was born. I started thinking about how I must have been destined to be a bass player if I was birthed along side this record. Then I considered how many people were born that year and a higher ratio of bass players born in 1972 is probably unlikely and that sometimes I get carried away with these notions. The bass playing on this disc though... sheesh. It's not flashy, it not slap and pop gymnastics... it's tasteful and commanding. The warm thick tone of the production is like soothing honey to my ears. It's records like this that make me fall in love with the instrument all over again . Now I've never cited Mayfield as an influence, the fact is though you're favorite bass player probably really loves this album, so by transitive influence this cd has changed your playing as well. My betting money is that my favorites Nate Mendel, Joe Lally, Geddy Lee and Josh English all love this album.
One afternoon of listening to this cd two times in a row has me contemplating picking up a small practice amp (the wife would kill me if I fired up the Ampeg). It's doing what music is supposed to do: inspire.
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