I Can Dig It!

I finally had the chance to listen to the Tavis Smiley show this past Sunday & what a great come back from Tavis. On Sunday’s program he interviewed Isaac Hayes about the release of his new album “Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?” which dropped 11/01/05. The interview was a eye opener for me as a fan, I realized that I knew very little about Isaac, like the fact that he is a coronated King of the Ada coastal district of Ghana in western Africa & a member of the Royal Family & has a nightly radio shift on WRBO Soul Classics 103.5 FM in Memphis. Oh & how can I forget that he is also a restaurateur.

Back to the album, I have head about 70% of the tracks on the 2 disc album, but there was one in particular that I was totally unaware of & it is a duet that he did with Dionne Warwick during their A Man & A Woman album in 1977 where they performed "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Say a Little Prayer" concurrently. This cut is so off the hook, I listened to it back to back at least 6 times. The melody & passion in both of there voices could give an audio-logical orgasm if not careful while listening. As they sing, their hooks overlap leaving me in a awed state on how perfect the song combination is. This has to be hands down one of the best duets of all time. The CD purchase is worth it just based on this one song. The collection of songs spans Hayes career with the Stax label 1969-1975 and includes:

• By the Time I Get to Phoenix/I Say a Little Prayer
• Someone Made You for Me
• Rock Me Easy Baby (Pt. 1)
• Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic
• Do Your Thing
• Never Can Say Goodbye
• If Loving You is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)
• And of course the Theme From Shaft
  

Other quick Hot Buttered Soul facts

• 34 years ago, he secured his first and only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Theme from 'Shaft."'
• He is heard on TV screens every week, as he provides the voice of Chef on the TV series "South Park."
• "Chocolate Salty Balls," from South Park, hit No. 1 in the U.K. in January 1999
• In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Hayes has a best selling cook book out titled "Cooking with Heart & Soul
• Hayes has not had dinner at my house in the last 5 years
  

Tavis Smiley Interview
NPR Interview