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!

DY-NO-MITE!!!

If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were back at the cinema 35 years ago watching a Shaft spinoff. But you're not. It's 2009, and the blaxploitation craze is back after a long hiatus - ready to kick you in the teeth and then sleep with your lady.

The movie is being released slowly to various markets, but you can vote for it to come to a town near you here. What you don't have to wait on, though, is the funky music that accompanies the movie. There are 2 releases associated: the score and the soundtrack. (Take a listen to each in full over in the music section of the official movie site.)

The soundtrack pulls together various library music from the likes of Alan Tew, Brian Bennett, and Nino Nardini to name a few. Some of these tracks have been used in other crime drams previously, hence the “library” moniker. If you've heard other blaxploitation soundtracks before, then you know the sound well: fuzz guitar, funked-out bass, and plenty of bass clef piano thuds hinting at trouble waiting just around the corner.

The score was masterminded by multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge. The record has such a vintage feel that it's hard to believe that this truly isn't some piece of unearthed long-lost goodness from the vaults. Much of the grittiness can be attributed to its recording process. Younge composed and played the album in his apartment on analog equipment.

No true blaxploitation score would be complete without a theme song. Sir Charles Hughes does the honor in coronating our hero. A brief introduction of Black Dynamite tells us how the grass withers wherever he walks and King Kong steps aside as he passes. Yes, he's a badass so step out of his way. That doesn't quite prepare us for “Chicago Wind,” with a haunting vocal that I'll be surprised if it isn't sampled by a Chicago native like Kanye West or Common in the next couple of years. It's already got the boom bap drums laid at its foundation and a slinky synth laid over top. The lyrics aren't as potent as the melody itself, but it's such a strong track, namely for the aforementioned vocals that breeze through like the gusty Chicago wind it speaks of through a cracked window, howling into your soul.

Early reviews of the movie indicate that it rides the line between homage and parody of the genre. The score is more the former as it's a reproduction of the sound. No new ground has been tread, but it's none the worse for wear. It reminds us of a time when composers other than John Williams told the story of characters not in visual action but in tone and soundscapes. It's nice to be reintroduced to that ideal.