5 key Columbia albums from George Duke – presented here in these cool little LP-styled covers, all packaged together in one nicely-priced set! First up is From Me To You – heavily layered work from George, and a record that seems to push all his influences and aspects at once, sometimes getting in the way of each other, but sometimes making for some very nice grooves! The best tunes on the set are those that have a bit of space in them – letting Duke stretch out on the keys in between the notes, or croon in that wispy, spacey style that we always liked best on his MPS albums. Reach For It is a real breakthrough album for George Duke – one of his earliest for the Epic label, and an album that took him from the space funk underground to the top of the jazz charts! The album's got a great sound that mixes together all of Duke's influences – Latin rhythms, electric keyboard funk, and some of the freer jamming styles he picked up in the Bay Area scene! Don't Let Go is a sweet bit of modern funk from George Duke – working here in a mode that's definitely tighter and more soul-based than his trippier albums of the early 70s – but also in a groove that's pretty darn sweet! George wonderfully blends together his jazz roots and some of the wider soul styles he'd helped forge on the California scene – keeping things smooth, but never slick – bringing in some nice acoustic percussion alongside the album's overall electric sound! Follow The Rainbow is smoother than before, and maybe not as much of a jazz album as some of Duke's earlier work – but the album's also got some great smooth modern numbers that follow in an Earth Wind & Fire spiritual soul tradition. Sheila E is in the group, and joins Lynn Davis and Josie James on vocals. Brazilian Love Affair is a record that really moves into some new dimensions for George! Although Duke's music had always had plenty of Brazilian influences – as you can hear on most of his records from the early 70s for MPS – this album brings that sound to the forefront, and even features a number of tunes that Duke recorded in Rio with Brazilian artists like Simone, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Silva, Toninho Horta, and Airto. 52 tracks in all.
