Roy Ayers - Virgin Ubiquity II:Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 '2014

Tracks list

Tracklist

1 - Holiday (7:07)
2 - I Am Your Mind (Part 2) (8:35)
3 - Funk In The Hole (5:36)
4 - Liquid Love (4:46)
5 - Third Time (7:12)
6 - Tarzan (4:12)
7 - I Like The Way You Do It To Me (4:57)
8 - Come To Me (5:45)
9 - Kwajilori (5:30)
10 - Release Yourself (6:16)
11 - Touch Of Class (5:23)
12 - Wide Open (6:32)
13 - Sunshine (Demo) (5:00)

Roy Ayers Virgin Ubiquity, Vol. 2: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 is another
hodgepodge of demos and outtake cuts that were left off official releases for
various reasons. That said, for Ayers fans, the set is consistent. I Am Your
Mind, Pt. 2 is an alternate of the classic, and offers a solid contrast. Slow
Tarzan (Funk in the Hole) is a slippery little groove track with nothing much
behind it except it feels good. Liquid Love (a song about kissing) should have
surfaced somewhere with its juxtaposition of Rhodes with vibes and strings and a
popping backbeat. Third Time is a throwaway but has plenty of ambition and a
smoking string arrangement by William Allen as well as a solid vocal performance
by Carla Vaughn; still, its a little too loose for Ayers smooth groove. Tarzan
is a fusion fest of funk and jazz dance. It burns and is the most driving cut on
the set. I Like the Way You Do It to Me is as big a throwaway as the title. But
Come to Me, despite its rather raw mix, is a deeply satisfying funk-disco
burner, and Kwajilori is simply infectious with its keyboard bass and Ayers
vibes taking the melodic idea from South African jive. Release Yourself owes
plenty to Bootsy and George Clinton -- nuff said. The demo version of Sunshine
that closes the album -- featuring Ayers on vocals -- is rough, but a beautiful
foreshadowing of the monster tune that was to come, and is most welcome here.
Ultimately, Virgin Ubiquity, Vol. 2 is only going to appeal to the hardcore
element in Ayers fan base, but for those folks, it will come as a welcome
addition to his catalog.~Thom Jurek

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