Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees - Pure Pleasure LP

Boz Scaggs is a unique and marvelous singer. His soulful voice can be, in turn, silky-smooth and sensual or funky and upbeat, depending on the material, but it is always compelling. This voice comes through superbly on the ten great tunes featured on 1976's Silk Degrees.

Scaggs, a solid composer in his own right, wrote three tracks on his own and co-wrote five more with David Paich. Paich contributed the delightful "Love Me Tomorrow" by himself. Also included is a cover of Allen Toussaint's excellent "What Do You Want The Girl To Do".

Stylistically, the compositions are a nice blend of Philly soul-influenced pop and rock. The production is very slick and sophisticated thanks to the arrangements by future Toto keyboardist David Paich, the orchestral direction (strings and brass) by Sid Sharp, the soulful back-up vocals, and the sheer artistry of all the musicians involved.