An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his first two solo albums, which were kind of bluesy in tone. For this album, though, he shocked the world by moving into a stripped-down mode that pairs his guitar with spare drum machine rhythms, flanged-out deeply soulful vocals, and one of the most laidback conceptions of funk you'll ever hear. The album's a landmark – one of those gems that's unlike anything else you can think of, but which will redefine your concept of what you want in a record for years to come. Every track's a winner – and the whole thing's a perfectly unified batch of tunes that includes instant classics like "Inspiration Information", "Island Letter", "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "XL 30", and "Rainy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Timmy Thomas – one that mixes together electronics and soul in this wonderfully unique mellow groove – a style that's hardly ever been matched again, and which may well put this album at the same level as Shuggie Otis' classic Inspiration Information set! Timmy's working here in a very unusual format – one that takes spare drum-machine beats, adds in warm keyboard chords, and graces the whole thing with smooth vocals to give it a real dose of soul! The contrast between the colder beats and Timmy's sweetly crackling voice is amazing – and creates a sound that echoes with love, loss, and loneliness – making the album one of the finest to come from the growing Miami scene of the 70s. Includes the landmark title cut "Why Can't We Live Together", plus "Dizzy Dizzy World", "The Coldest Days Of My Life", "Funky Me", "Take Care Of Home", "In The Beginning", and "Cold Cold People". LP, Vinyl record album