EARTH WIND & FIRE — Spirit (review)

EARTH WIND & FIRE — Spirit album cover Album · 1976 · RnB Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
In 1975 Earth Wind and Fire hit a creative peak with the release of both, “That’s the Way of the World’ and “Gratitude” . At this point the band had positioned themselves as a true force of nature worthy of their band name as they mixed modern RnB with funk, jazz fusion and art pop with neo-classical tendencies. In 1976 they rolled out “Spirit” in a similar style, and although this album does not quite soar to the heights of their 75 output, it gets very close. To their credit, EW&F at this point had the best solo and ensemble vocals in the business, as well as the best horn section. All of this was backed by a tight rhythm section that was at home playing either up tempo jazz or down tempo pop ballads.

Picking out the best tracks on here, we get the almost chaotic fierce energy of “Getaway’. If you were listening to RnB radio back then, there was no forgetting the first time you heard the kinetic blast of this horn driven scorcher with soaring vocals and a complex arrangement that was far beyond most anything else on the radio. “Saturday Night” is a good times winner with a persistent guitar rhythm and an unusual major key horn riff that sounds like classic 60s soul jazz. “Biyo” is an instrumental African fusion number with solos for everyone and some cool exotica synthesizer work. Maurice White turns in a superb lead vocal performance on “Biyo” with its lyrics of a spiritual nature. The rest of the tracks on here are good, although some may sound a bit like rehashes of earlier successful material.

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