Buddy Miles - A Message to the People 1971

In the league of funk-rock albums, A Message to the People is top-notch. Buddy Miles was easily one the better bandleaders of the early '70s, and his ability to unite a group of talented players around well-crafted songs definitely makes this one of his best albums. The gorgeous "The Way I Feel Tonight," the funky, horn-driven "Place Over There," and the lovely closing "That's the Way Life Is" all rank among Miles' best songs and performances. Add to that two superb Gregg Allman covers (especially "Midnight Rider," which is arguably even more definitive than the original), and the results are impressive. Miles even predates hip-hop by lifting the horn riff from Joe Tex's "You're Right, Ray Charles" and crafting it into a new instrumental cut called, fittingly, "Joe Tex." Only a dud cover of Percy Sledge's "Sudden Stop" is the album's lone clinker. In fact, the album is so good, it's mystifying why it barely clocks in at a meager half-hour. "That's the Way Life Is" and the clavinet-laden "The Segment" are both over just as they've barely begun. Similarly, no sooner does the cover of "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'" settle into a powerful groove than it stops to segue into the next cut. Why Miles felt the need to edit the material so severely is bizarre, since the album could easily have been twice as long and still hit its mark. It's a testament to Buddy Miles' talent that, as first-rate as the album is, it will leave any listener wanting more. Still, A Message to the People is every bit a funk classic. AMG.

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