What Can I Say (11/20/76) #42 US, #10 UK, #68 RB, #35 AC
Lido Shuffle (3/12/77) #11 US, #13 UK
Notes:
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Awards:
Silk Degrees
Boz Scaggs
Review:
“Lanky Texan neo-soul crooner and underrated guitar warrior Boz Scaggs was a Steve Miller Band alumnus who jumped ship to probe silky R&B instead of gritty blues, the Miller Band’s original milieu, and each of his early ‘70s solo albums polished the mix toward this triumphant zenith.” SS “Both artistically and commercially, Boz Scaggs had his greatest success with Silk Degrees. The laid-back singer hit the R&B charts in a big way with the addictive, sly Lowdown.” AH It won a Grammy for Best R&B song and “has been sampled by more than a few rappers and remains a favorite among baby-boomer soul fans.” AH
Scaggs “expressed his love of smooth soul music almost as well on the appealing What Can I Say.” AH There’s also “a typically smart cover choice in a great version of Allen Toussaint’s What Do You Want The Girl to Do.” SS
“But Scaggs was essentially a pop/rocker, and in that area he has a considerable amount of fun on Lido Shuffle (another major hit single), What Do You Want the Girl to Do, and Jump Street.” AH Meanwhile, We’re All Alone, which was later a hit for Rita Coolidge, WK “and Harbor Lights became staples on adult contemporary radio. Though not remarkable, the ballads have more heart than most of the bland material dominating that format.” AH
“Hindsight too often devalues Silk Degrees for its snug fit with the disco aesthetic that prevailed upon its mid-‘70s release, and the style’s rhythmic signatures do bubble up significantly.” SS “Yet Scaggs’ lyric intelligence and the skintight playing of a studio band built around what would soon become Toto (!) makes this a modern classic.” SS
5.0
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5.0
