The title track of Sly Stone's 1974 album, Small Talk is distinctive not for jazz funk bass groove that is coloured by a cinema organ but the added baby cryin all over the track. Its a novel idea that fits with the mellow yet tight rhythm track while Sly sings in a real low key vocal whilst also caring to his child and also features his wife and others baby talking to his son, as he slowly quietens down. Say You Will is a smooth melodic song mixing the defiant gospel inflected soul of their early days with the blended mellow 70s sound as big choral vocals a string section and some more of their tight drum, popping bass lines and sweet organ chords keep this so endearing; the squelching sounds effects and Sly's clear high tenor vocal are the best parts urging listeners to 'Give a Damn, Y'all!'.
Mother Beautiful starts with the newly added string section in full effect inter-playing with the drenched organ quiet jam balladry that was always a key element of Sly's 70s discography from 'Family Affair' onward. But the golden harmonies of the chorus are on point as are sister Rose Stone's exquisite cracked baritone, it just doesn't get any purer than that as the vocals lead and backing wash like the organ in tides of increasing volume and intensity then ebbing back to the background groove before re-emphasising a sentiment once again.
New bassist, 19 year old Rusty Allen kicks off Can't Strain My Brain with an indelible bubbly bass part that is more lead instrument than anything on the track as sweet spring strings the kind Isaac Hayes would use sing alongside Sly; an excellent contrast of restrained heavy funk rhythm sections and easy listening instrumentation in a lulling soup of a mix. It's so relaxing and such a masterful mix of the soft and gentle and with just enough clear cut bite in the bass, guitars and Sly's sly vocals slipping in between the two. They were thee Soul Super-group, practically inventing heavy funk bands, big band funk groups like Kool and the Gang and EWF and the Quiet Storm genre of the 80s whilst nailing smooth soul in the process.
The intro of Loose Booty will instantly take you to a dozen 70s cop shows with the hyped up Afro funk beat punctuated by urban sax stacks, wah wah and bass clanking away and some call and response Jackson Five sounding vocals, this would fit shows like What's Happening with it's playground singalong and mix of Blaxploitation wah wah funk workout energy. The refrain of 'shake that, get the permission for letin it go' is actually a chant of bible names ' Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego ', but it sounds like a looped sample and so catchy that it could've easily been a 90s dance hit or a 2000s club remix (I'm not counting the Beastie Boys, who failed to credit the major contributor to their track; just like Daft Punk did with the repackaging of Breakwater's playing as their own Robot Rock ..head tut, nice appropriation); well it was one of the album's two singles.
The little bass doodling that starts Wishful Thinkin' displays the young Allen's talent while the sweet formula of organ, strings and Sly once again undulate like a Sinatra tune but with far more authenticity and inner city grit and some wonderfully creative gargled and strained vocal by Sly on some lines to display a drugged out unpredictability and slightly wired state of mind as some lines you hear his deep intakes of breath and the crack of his speaking voice or the raw uncut growl of his yelling voice; no singer mixed so many techniques into his style as Sly who could rap, monologue, yearn, wail, rasp all over the course of one melody! This mixed styled vocal is a great example of how utilises his changing vocal styles to symbolise his muddled state familiar to anyone stressed, emotional or reliant on any substances too.
The studio chatter before the sax and then the backing Little Singers coming in and eventually strings coming into the track one by one on Better Thee Than Me displays a rough mix of how spiky raw they all were. The strings cut a shrieking line, the guitars and organ lay down liquid textures while the sax sounds very earthy and full. But best are the vocals that are better served by this live separated studio mix where they are more up-fronted to capture their kick ass splendour. This band were swagger personified, far more than a thousand funk bands, DJs and Rappers, they along with James Brown of course defined the term for the first time and never has anyone exemplified it better than the Stone siblings and Co from Vallejo, California of all places, not the most streetwise nor street tough of places.
This Is Love starts differently with a piano and doowop melody sung by Sly more of glorious strings and backing vocal glories and a guitar chankles (that's right I just made that up!). He even starts the song with the instruction "Pull the strings up" before launching into that evergreen package of Fats Domino piano plonking and serene vocal lines. Its so melodic with Sly head bobbing piano beat and scat vocals anchoring those impeccable strinsg and magic backing vocals from the Little Sisters backing group; Just Listen to it! Don't need to read anymore about it!
Other low key highlights include the alternate version of 1975's Crossword Puzzle, this earlier cut features some droning string lilts, drawling away while Sly or Rose or someone sings with a real high vocal, half sung low, half gravelly and loud. Best is the slight honky tonk vibe of the strings and the melodies hoedown rhythm yet urban isolation lyrics which include gems like "are you gonna be a mouse, livin in your house". The overall metaphor of a crossword puzzle for a inter-sectional grid of a city is a master idea while the up and down funk swagger of the vocal beats any rapper's flow as it cements the dead end inner city message of the song whilst remaining eclectic and colourful and balancing contrasting dynamics.
Finally Positive (Instrumental) is the one that doesn't bare any parts of their sound, rather it sounds like a jam by James Brown's band with a typical clanky 9th chord funky blues lick, hyperactive double time drumming and blues slide double stops.
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