Black Moses

iTunes Review

Isaac Hayes was a major figure in soul music throughout the ‘60s. He was serving as a writer, producer, arranger, and musician on a major amount of the work coming out of the Memphis-based Stax Records label when he stepped out on his own and transformed the world of soul music for the early ‘70s. Black Moses was a double album that gave Hayes the perfect platform for his extended "raps" and his ambitious arranging skills. Settling on an excellent set of covers, from Burt Bacharach and Hal David's  "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (a hit for the Carpenters) and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" to Curtis Mayfield's "Man's Temptation" and "Need to Belong to Someone" to Kris Kristofferson's "For the Good Times," Hayes brought deep brooding melancholy vocals, deeply dramatic strings and a light, sleek groove to every style of song imaginable, recasting each song as a Hayes original. He toyed with his image as a late night Lothario, making sensual passes with hints of humor balancing out the grand gestures.