Shuggie Otis: Inspiration Information/Wings of Love

It's a game of two halves as the enigmatic funk, soul and blues guitar virtuoso makes a return. On the one hand, there's Inspiration Information , his flawless 1974 album in which classics such as Aht Uh Mi Hed light the way with psychedelic soul brightness and wonder. To go with this reissue, Wings of Love rounds up 14 tracks recorded at various stages from 1975 to 2000, when Otis was out of the limelight and before David Byrne's interest brought a new audience his way. The problem is that Wings of Love is lost on the swings and roundabouts as Otis tries out different guises without ever coming close to hitting what made his previous work to vital and exciting. You definitely don't want to hear Otis trying his hand at 1980s power-pop ( Wings of Love ) or bad r'n'b ( Tryin' to Get Close to You ). It all makes for a deeply frustrating listen.
shuggieotismusic.com
Download: Aht Uh Mi Hed, Inspiration Information