Walk On By/Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalmistic/One Woman/By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Hot Buttered Soul delivered the commercial breakthrough for soul musician Isaac Hayes. The album comprises four long jams, some of well known MOR songs. (US:8)
“For the most part, this is not an album for the casual music fan. With its long, gradual, slow building detailed epics of musical architecture Hot Buttered Soul is to be listened to by serious, attentive, patient and ardent lovers of song. If you are vigilant and appreciative of bass lines, chord progressions, drum fills, transitions, vocal pitch, tone and so on, this record is an extravaganza for your ears; a marvellous display of craftsmanship.”
“Although Walk On By has the reputation for being nasty funk, it's really very mild. The extended jams lack imagination, Isaac's organ keeps hitting the same two chords, the horns are repetitive and unimaginative. I like Isaac's singing, and the back-up singers sound pretty good. But come on, the extended rap on By The Time I Get To Phoenix is enjoyable today purely as kitsch, if that.”
“Isaac Hayes began his solo career proper with Hot Buttered Soul, arguably his best album and a monumental influence on R & B. The four song LP establishes the template for future Hayes' releases: strong grooves embellished by sweet strings and horns. The fuzz guitars of side one contrast nicely with the softer second side.”
“Hayes' second album is a gorgeous and heavy musical statement, with some beautiful strings, organs and minimal wah-wah drenched guitar playing that immediately hits you hard. The vocals are hypnotic and are coupled with great lyrics and delivery. This is a must hear for any self-respecting music lover.”
“When you consider that up until this point, Hayes was best known for writing nice tight singles that clocked in at well under three minutes; this album is to say the least unexpected. But song length isn't the only thing that separates this from anything else that was being done by soul artists at the time. In fact, Hayes seems to go completely beyond the formula he used as both a very successful writer and producer by using lush string arrangements, and sweet backing vocals that would have been absolutely out of place in any of his Stax efforts. But it really works.”
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