HE'S STILL A BAD MUTHA (JUST NOW IN REMASTERED CLARITY)

Isaac Hayes: Early Sunday Morning
From Shaft (Stax, 1971/2009)

Almost 30 years after it was originally released, the legendary Shaft soundtrack has been reissued in remastered form. It was a landmark album due to it being the first soul soundtrack to a major movie release while garnering major awards and accolades. More importantly, it was a remarkable musical accomplishment, in its breadth of styles.

Sure, nearly everyone knows the iconic title song. However, the rest of the album, most of which is instrumental, has mostly been forgotten, not because it's not memorable – but because the market for popular instrumental music has dried up throughout the years. It's a lost artform in this age of marketable catchy hooks and ringtone fodder.

One of the more laidback mood pieces on the album is “Early Sunday Morning.” With its breezy jazz-soul stylings, you're taken away from your troubles. Its underpinning strings lift it to celestial heights while the cool horns are the sunrise's aural backdrop.

On the flipside you have the more popped-collar funkiness in “Do Your Thing,” which was most likely inspired by fellow composer Tom McIntosh who consulted with Hayes on the movie when he told Isaac to “do your thing” and not worry about making varied stylings incorporate into the album. It has a fuzzed-out guitar that borders on psychedelic soul.

In addition to the original tracklisting, you also get a bonus 2009 mix of the title song. For the life of me, though, I can't quite hear much of a difference aside from the countoff in the intro. While this alone may not make it a must purchase for those who already own the soundtrack, the reissue reminds us of the mastermind that Hayes was in his compositional prowess.

Right on!