Mojo (Publisher) (p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he record is solid the whole way through, luxuriating in a range of styles from R&B to reggae to rock."
Personnel: Louie Shelton, Fred Tackett (guitar); Chuck Findley, Dick Hyde, Vincet DeRosa, Jim Horn, Plas Johnson, Tom Scott, Paul Hubinon, Bud Shank (horns); Dabid Paich (keyboard); David Hungate (bass guitar); Jeff Porcaro (drum).
Recording information: 1976.
Boz Scaggs's 1976 breakthrough album, SILK DEGREES, was not only his biggest-selling release to date, but also one of his best. Here Scaggs collaborated with keyboardist and bandleader David Paich, who would soon form the hugely successful band Toto with the drummer Jeff Porcaro. In Paich, Scaggs found a foil who added just enough pop gloss to make his blues- and R&B-tinged material palatable to the masses. Crucially, though, the pair keeps Scaggs's remarkable voice at the center of things, never going too far overboard with studio polish. As a result, hit singles "Lowdown" and, particularly, the horn-spiked R&B of "Lido Shuffle," still sound fresh, while the ballads remain soulful. This 2007 version includes bonus tracks as well as a booklet featuring lyrics and previously unseen photographs.