The Isley Brothers & Santana - Power Of Peace

Styles: Vocal, Funk
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:08
Size: 151,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Are You Ready
(4:23)  2. Total Destruction to Your Mind
(5:13)  3. Higher Ground
(7:09)  4. God Bless the Child
(5:34)  5. I Remember
(5:22)  6. Body Talk
(7:03)  7. Gypsy Woman
(4:04)  8. I Just Want to Make Love to You
(3:12)  9. Love, Peace, Happiness
(5:29) 10. What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love
(4:02) 11. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
(6:27) 12. Let the Rain Fall On Me
(4:37) 13. Let There Be Peace On Earth

Supergroup pairings rarely work. Either there are too many egos involved or the magic promised on paper doesn’t materialize because there are too many cooks in the kitchen, or record label and managerial bluster get in the way of actual spontaneity. That's not the case with Power of Peace, delivered by the Santana and Isley families in a Las Vegas studio without prior rehearsal. The material on this 13-song set is comprised mostly of iconic soul, funk, blues, and R&B covers. Carlos Santana and Ron Isley are joined by drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and Ernie Isley, the Santana road band, and a backing chorus of Kandy and Tracy Isley as well as Kimberley Johnson and Eddie Levert. "Are You Ready," the first of two Chambers Brothers tunes, opens the set with a Karl Perazzo conga workout followed by a funky bassline and Ernie on manic wah-wah guitar. Cindy's breaks and Carlos' leads push Ron to overdriven rock intensity with the backing chorus supports. It's a hard groover that introduces a rocking soul rave-up on Swamp Dogg's "Total Destruction to Your Mind." The pairing of Ron and Carlos here is fantastic. If it doesn’t get you on your feet, you're already dead. Things get more intense on Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" with Ernie evoking Jimi Hendrix's spirit in his fills and solo, while Cindy's drumming and Perazzo's whomping congas push it into the red. Eddie Kendricks' burner "Body Talk" gets the same treatment. There are some ballads here, too. Ron delivers a beautiful adaptation of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" with Cindy on backing vocals. Santana's melodic presentation is matched by Ernie's tough blues phrasing. The lone original, "I Remember," is a gorgeous, bittersweet samba written and sung by Cindy; it's the only tune here that retains its restraint throughout (though Carlos is tempted to shred near the end). On Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman," Ron offers his sweetest falsetto amid a humid, atmospheric, Latin soul backdrop. Blues, hard rock, and funk collide in Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You," with Ernie shining in a burning solo. Only the Bacharach-David standard "What the Worlds Needs Now" and Leon Thomas' post-bop "Let the Rain Fall on Me" falter due to overly reverent presentations. That said, the gospelized Latin soul in Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is a monster. The set closes with a complete reinvention of "Let There Be Peace on Earth," offering a stellar portrait of what the Santana band does well (especially with an ace guitarist like Ernie aboard). Ron, whose voice is undiminished by time, soars above the band and chorus to end it all on a spiritual tip. Power of Peace is loose, but everybody brought their chops to the party. This is what happens when great musicians gather simply to see what happens and enjoy one another's company. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/power-of-peace-mw0003062166

Personnel: Ronald Isley (vocals); Carlos Santana (guitar, percussion, background vocals);  Mathews, Jim Reitzel (keyboards); Karl Perazzo (percussion).

Power Of Peace

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The Isley Brothers - 3+3

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:05
Size: 176.5 MB
Styles: Soul, Pop, Funk
Year: 1973/2013
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. That Lady Pts. 1 & 2
[4:02] 2. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
[3:23] 3. If You Were There
[3:06] 4. You Walk Your Way
[4:05] 5. Listen To The Music
[3:53] 6. What It Comes Down To
[4:22] 7. Sunshine (Go Away Today)
[6:11] 8. Summer Breeze Pts 1 & 2
[4:18] 9. The Highways Of My Life
[3:13] 10. That Lady Pt. 1
[3:06] 11. Summer Breeze Pt. 1
[3:19] 12. The Highways Of My Life
[4:32] 13. Sunshine (Go Away Today)
[6:17] 14. Summer Breeze
[6:33] 15. That Lady (Interview Pt. 1)
[5:12] 16. Listen To the music (interview Pt. 2)
[2:26] 17. Summer Breeze (Interview Pt. 3)
[3:25] 18. The Highways Of My Life (Interview Pt. 4)

Recorded in 1973, 3 + 3 was a major turning point for the Isley Brothers. With this album, the Isleys moved their T-Neck label from Buddah to Epic/CBS (which became Epic/Sony in the early '90s), and it was at Epic that they unveiled their new lineup. Lead singer Ronald Isley and his siblings O'Kelly and Rudolph remained, but the Isleys became a sextet instead of a trio when cousin Chris Jasper and younger brothers Ernie and Marvin were added. This new lineup was called 3 + 3, and the addition of Jasper on keyboards, Ernie on guitar, and Marvin on bass added exciting new elements to the Isleys' sound. One of finest R&B bassists of the 1970s, the ever-so-funky Marvin is in a class with heavyweights like Larry Graham and Louis Johnson -- and Ernie is a stunning guitarist who is heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix but has a distinctive style of his own. The Isleys had always been lovers of rock, but with the addition of Ernie, their sound became even more overtly rock-influenced. Nonetheless, the rock and pop elements didn't alienate R&B audiences, which ate this album up. The single "That Lady" (which is based on an Impressions-like gem they had recorded in 1964) was a major hit, and the Isleys are equally captivating on soul interpretations of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze," James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," and the Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music." With this superb album, the Isley Brothers sounded better than ever -- and they gained a lot of new fans without sacrificing the old ones. ~Alex Henderson

3+3

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The Isley Brothers - It’s Our Thing

Styles: Vocal, R&B
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:57
Size: 62,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. I Know Who You Been Socking It To
(2:38)  2. Somebody Been Messin'
(3:31)  3. Save Me
(2:02)  4. I Must Be Losing My Touch
(3:27)  5. Feel Like the World
(2:49)  6. It's Your Thing
(2:19)  7. Give the Women What They Want
(2:37)  8. Love Is What You Make It
(2:42)  9. Don't Give It Away
(2:05) 10. He's Got Your Love

A very important album for the Isley Brothers, 1969's It's Our Thing found Ronald, O'Kelly and Rudolph Isley reviving their T-Neck label and marked the beginning of their association with Buddah (where they would remain until moving T-Neck to Epic/CBS in 1973). Creatively, this excellent LP put the siblings in the driver's seat they did all of the producing and songwriting themselves and they enjoyed the type of artistic freedom that they could only dream about when they were with Tamla/Motown from 1965-1968. At Tamla/Motown, Berry Gordy's team of producers and songwriters called the shots, but at T-Neck/Buddah, the Isleys' own vision was allowed to flourish. And that creative freedom made It's Our Thing a commercial triumph as well as an artistic one. The funky title track soared to number two on the R&B charts, and equally invigorating gems like "Give the Women What They Want" and "I Know Who You Been Socking It To" also went down in history as soul classics. Nor are tough, gritty album tracks like "He's Got Your Love" and "I Must Be Losing My Touch" anything to complain about. It's Our Thing made it clear that Tamla/Motown's loss was Buddah's gain.~Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/its-our-thing-mw0000075763

Personnel: Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley (vocals).

It’s Our Thing

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