Electrified

Chronique

Released on Stax subsidiary We Produce, Electrified never made much noise in its day. Had it not been for Pete Rock, it might still be much forgotten. However, the anthemic "Our Generation" was too good to be passed up for a sample, and by the mid-'90s collectors were abuzz looking for this lost LP. With back-catalog reissues still reaping beaucoup dollars for the music industry and with the help of further promotion from John Legend and the Roots covering "Our Generation" in 2010, the perfect storm was created to take another look. In all honesty, it's actually surprising it didn't create more of a stir. "Sugar Plum" is a rocksteady stomper bridging soul with a tinge of funk, aided by production from Tom Nixon. When you throw in a subdued but still edgy guitar solo that is sprinkled in a few spots, you have the makings of a track that you're thankful wasn't lost to the annals of time. Hines was also quite capable of penning ballads. On "Your Love (Is All I Need)," Hines croons with complete confidence and competence while being backed by a breezy guitar and a swinging set of sticks. Lyrically, it's fairly banal, with lyrics such as "Your love means more than life to me, baby/Without your love, I'd be only half a man." It's his delivery that wins over the song. However, his take on the Sam Cooke classic "A Change Is Gonna Come" finds him being over-matched by both the topic and singing. The arrangement, although pared down from the Rene Hall original, still seems to swallow him. Flat and uninspiring, even for a song that emotes so much more, it's by far the worst offering on the album. Fortunately, "Our Generation" is still to follow in the track list, rescuing the album from a nosedive. In between is the original reading of the Temprees' "Explain It to Her Mama," plaintive in tone and drenched in sad strings -- slow, but not to a fault. The title track, "Electrified Love," is more representative of the album, a primarily midtempo affair backed with soothing harmonizing and warm arrangements. Stax certainly released better albums, but Electrified didn't do anything to water down their sound.

© Eric Luecking /TiVo