Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs 1969

Departing from the Steve Miller Band after a two-album stint, Boz Scaggs found himself on his own but not without support. Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, his friend, helped him sign with Atlantic Records and the label had him set up shop in Muscle Shoals, recording his debut album with that legendary set of studio musicians, known for their down-and-dirty backing work for Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, among many other Southern soul legends. The Muscle Shoals rhythm section, occasionally augmented by guitarist Duane Allman, gives this music genuine grit, but this isn't necessarily a straight-up blue-eyed soul record, even if the opening "I'm Easy" and "I'll Be Long Gone" are certainly as deeply soulful as anything cut at Muscle Shoals. Even at this early stage Scaggs wasn't content to stay in one place, and he crafted a kind of Americana fantasia here, also dabbling in country and blues along with the soul and R&B that grounds this record. Suppose the country shuffle "Now You're Gone" sounds just slightly a shade bit too vaudeville for its own good. In that case, it only stands out because the rest of the record is pitch-perfect, from the Jimmie Rodgers cover "Waiting for a Train" and the folky "Look What I Got!" to the extended 11-minute blues workout "Loan Me a Dime," which functions as much as a showcase for a blazing Duane Allman as it does for Boz. But even with that show-stealing turn, and even with the Muscle Shoals musicians giving this album its muscle and part of its soul, this album is still thoroughly a showcase for Boz Scaggs' musical vision, which even at this stage is wide and deep. It would grow smoother and more assured over the years, but the slight bit of raggedness suits the funky, down-home performances and helps make this a great debut and an enduring blue-eyed soul masterpiece. AMG.

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Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees 1976

Both artistically and commercially, Boz Scaggs had his greatest success with Silk Degrees. The laid-back singer hit the R&B charts in a big way with the addictive, sly "Lowdown" (which has been sampled by more than a few rappers and remains a favorite among baby-boomer soul fans) and expressed his love of smooth soul music almost as well on the appealing "What Can I Say." But Scaggs was essentially a pop/rocker, and in that area, he has a considerable amount of fun on "Lido Shuffle" (another major hit single), "What Do You Want the Girl to Do," and "Jump Street." Meanwhile, "We're All Alone" and "Harbor Lights" became staples on adult contemporary radio. Though not remarkable, the ballads have more heart than most of the bland material dominating that format. AMG.

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Boz Scaggs - Moments 1971

If his 1969 eponymous debut found Boz Scaggs digging down deep and creating some gritty soul-rock, highlighted byDuane Allman's extended work-out on "Loan Me a Dime," his 1971 follow-up Moments -- his first album for CBS -- found him sketching out the blue-eyed soul that would eventually bring him fame when he streamlined it for 1976's Silk Degrees. Boz Scaggs was a Southern record, but Moments is thoroughly Californian, sun-bleached and brightly colored, easily gliding along smooth surfaces. In the hands of producer Glyn Johns, Scaggs doesn't have any rough edges, and the change suits him well, as his soft, soulful croon almost cries out for a setting this lush, one that's just this side of being louche. Although Scaggs would go that down the gauche road in the '70s, Moments is far from the glitzy disco of Silk Degrees and its spawn. This is thoroughly a '60s hangover, right down to how the country shuffle of "Alone, Alone" slides between the warm soul grooves of the rest of the album. Most of this is decidedly laid-back -- the casually funky grind of "I Will Forever Sing (The Blues)" and slyly funny boogie of "Hollywood Blues" callbacks to the Southern strut of the debut, are the exception, not the rule -- and while this is mellow, it's not lazy: it's a relaxed exploration. By the time "Can I Make It Last (Or Will It Just Be Over)" quietly drifts away on extended instrumental coda, setting like a sun into the ocean, Scaggs has started down the path toward his signature blue-eyed soul. AMG.

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Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees 1976

Both artistically and commercially, Boz Scaggs had his greatest success with Silk Degrees. The laid-back singer hit the R&B charts in a big way with the addictive, sly "Lowdown" (which has been sampled by more than a few rappers and remains a favorite among baby-boomer soul fans) and expressed his love of smooth soul music almost as well on the appealing "What Can I Say." But Scaggs was essentially a pop/rocker, and in that area he has a considerable amount of fun on "Lido Shuffle" (another major hit single), "What Do You Want the Girl to Do," and "Jump Street." Meanwhile, "We're All Alone" and "Harbor Lights" became staples on adult contemporary radio. Though not remarkable, the ballads have more heart than most of the bland material dominating that format. AMG.

listen here