Bobby Boyd – Bobby Boyd (180gr.)

The second lost album from the legendary Bobby Boyd.

Vadim continues its painstaking excavation of buried record treasures to finally bring to light what the most dedicated and learned among us consider to be one of the best soul records ever.

An extremely rare vinyl existing only as promo copies and exchanging hands for the highest prices, this coveted funk gem is a real piece of history with a strangely uneven sound quality, caused by a rather mediocre pressing and unreliable sound takes that give the strange impression that the tracks weren’t all recorded together. In the end, this rough production aspect isn’t detrimental to the album at all, rather contributing fully to its bewitching charm and strengthening the fragile and miraculous character of Bobby Boyd’s soul, which he inhabits with his incredible husky voice.

As we journey through compositions that alternate between gentle ballads and wild instrumental sessions, we happily drift away, little by little, and absorb the warmth of a Rhodes piano, the guitar, and elsewhere the twirling sax arabesques. The musicians are excellent, dedicated to each piece, sticking to the essential and avoiding tiring technical demonstrations. The groove is hot, smooth and finely honed, revealing the full sensitivity of his compositions. With this album, Bobby Boyd creates a masterpiece that lingers on the palette and to which we will constantly return to draw from its genuine warmth.