Isaac Hayes - Instrumentals (2003)

Instead of focusing on the honeyed tonsils that are probably the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Isaac Hayes, Stax present for the first time a new and refreshing instrumental slant to the soul legend's work. 'Instrumentals' displays Ike's instrumental gems, laying bare the fact that the work of the band is at least as important to the sound of his records as the vocals. The music that we have here is largely from the three soundtrack albums Hayes released for Stax's Enterprise label. From 'Shaft' we have Cafe Regio, famous to anyone who flipped over their original Stax 45, one of many tracks here showing off the talents of Isaac's guitarists. It's not all film music though. Ike's Mood, from Isaac's third album, To Be Continued, is all epic strings and big horns, and due to its continual use in TV and as a sample on hip hop records, is now probably one of Isaac's most familiar pieces of music. Let's Stay Together was first released as a single in early 1972, weeks after the original by Al Green had been put out. The journey is completed by the instrumental version of the Live At The Sahara Tahoi track, Type Thang, which sees release for the first time here, and an instrumental take of Ewan MacColl's The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face. Type Thang works surprisingly well as an instrumental, hardly missing the vocal on top. The First Time... is handled almost as a gospel piece working itself up beautifully from a simplistic but insistent riff to a wondrous but restrained climax. This is another angle at which to observe the legend of Isaac Hayes. It spotlights the musical subtlety at the heart of much of his work. But at its core provides a damn good listen. Ace/Stax.