Released: 1978
Genre: Jazz-Fusion
From: US
Label: CBS
Why you should listen: Wilbert Longmire’s highly celebrated debut 1978 album Sunny Side Up was produced by Bob James and features an array of talented jazz musicians. An absolute master at that smooth, jazz-fusion sound, the album is a mesmerising body of work that combines a smooth, soulful and joyful energy with more dance-centric drumming, such as on the thrilling opener “Black Is The Color”, where Wilbert Longmire’s incredible guitar plucking and playing is complemented by Harvey Mason’s incredible drum rhythms, Bob James and Richard Tee’s piano arrangements, and the plethora of wind instrumentation that creates a colourful tapestry of sounds. “Good Morning!” has a subtle, more moody and emotive tone to it, with a smooth and light melody brought by the incredible guitar playing, subtle key arrangements and drumming. The sensuality of “Love Why Don’t You Find Us” is brought by Wilbert’s soulful singing as well as the choir adding an angelic quality to the record. The Bill Withers cover of “Lovely Day” is an soulful, light version of the original, as the track feels playful and light in comparison to the soulful and more defined original. I would have loved vocals on this track, but the instrumental jam of this is pretty great regardless. The guitar-driven melody of “Starflight” is groovy, and is combined beautifully with the hypnotic wind instrumentation and basslines throughout, making it a light and beautiful way to close the album out. Wilbert Longmire created an absolute gem of an album, and I’m so glad to have found it at my local record shop. It is definitely worth purchasing on vinyl if you haven’t yet.
The album :
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