Before Robin Thicke or Justin Timberlake there was and is Boz Scaggs. He is not a dancer and he was never in a boy-band but he was one of the first white male singers to have a colossal R&B Album in "Silk Degrees." After parting from The Steve Miller Band for solo career-dom, Boz Scaggs released 4 previous albums before he hit big with 'Silk.' And I mean big--115 weeks on the Billboard Chart, a 5 Million seller, Grammy nominee for Album of the Year (losing to Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key Of Life"--stiff competition!) and winning for "Lowdown" Best R&B Song, Boz finally got into his groove. In addition to being a renowned guitar player, he's got one sexy voice! Thanks to the "SD" sessions, we have the formation of the kick-ass band Toto who were the backing musicians before group status. Recorded in North Hollywood and Los Angeles in 1975 and released on Columbia Records in 1976 (an underrated yet excellent year for music, I will argue to the death!) "Silk Degrees" is the record Robin Thicke is still trying to make. No shade, all READ.
'Degrees' from start to finish is an unbelievable album. "Lowdown" is most iconic and familiar. With its cooing "ooh-ooh, oh I wonder, wonder, wonder who" and it's porn-ish bass, it's a wonder it hasn't been incorporated as a hip-hop sample. By the way, a flute has never sounded more legit or sexy than on this song. The opener, "What Can I Say" will snatch your hips left to right and get you swaying in no-time flat with a feel similar to "Step In The Name Of Love." This could very well be where R. Kelly got the inspiration. It even has a hell-of-a sax musical break. Remember musical breaks?! "Georgia," a personal favorite of mine, begins with a pulsing beat and makes you swoon into a kick-drum infused symphony of melody. The rhythmic meter changes of this jam will make you want to move and shake then take a break! This is definitely a song for cruising down the open road.
"What Do You Want The Girl To Do?" was composed by Alan Toussaint, the musical juggernaut responsible for producing the legendary "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle. This song reminds me of my mom who would play it at full tilt on our home stereo. It's a song that has a swinging verse section with a call-and-response backing vocal group and a swelling buildup of pulsing strings; the chorus erupts into an almost reggae dip with gospel verve. The track "It's Over" is a contemporary take on the Motown rhythm and strings of the 60s, with the kick-drum turned up to capacity. This song will have you doing a step-touch dance break!
One last track that has sentimental value to me is the "Lido Shuffle," a swinging blues rocker with a sweeping chorus that is anthemic. The best part is the bridge, with it's building synthesizer/keyboard riff that erupts into a blast of saxophones, double-tracked vocals and heavy drum smacks. It's a song that sparks memories of family road trips to and fro to Lake Tahoe as a kid--with my mom's homemade mix-tapes popped into the cassette deck (remember those) --ahead of her time, but she was a BOSS with her mix-tapes, a BOSS I tell you!
Boz Scaggs can be found on iTunes and of course at your music retailers. If you want more stories behind the making of this record, I suggest you purchase the 2007 Legacy Recordings edition with liner notes song-by-song by Scaggs truly. "Silk Degrees" is the Gem-Of-A-Jam that will have you partying like it's 1976, no "dirty lowdown" in that!