| Funky Serenity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 30, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | October 1972 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 48:07 | |||
| Label | Columbia KC 32030 | |||
| Producer | Ramsey Lewis | |||
| Ramsey Lewis chronology | ||||
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Funky Serenity is an album by the pianist Ramsey Lewis, released in 1973 on Columbia Records. The album got to No. 6 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. [1]
"Dreams" was sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on the song "Electric Relaxation", from their 1993 LP Midnight Marauders . Beck also sampled "My Love For You" on the song "Debra." [2] [3]
"My Love For You" was also sampled by Musiq Soulchild on the track "Girl Next Door." What's more, Lewis' rendition of Luther Ingram's "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" was sampled by The Fugees on "Fu-Gee-La." [3] [4]
Producer Kanye West also sampled Lewis' cover of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow" for the Mariah Carey song "Stay the Night" on her 2005 LP The Emancipation of Mimi . [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [7] |
Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic called the album "enjoyable and essential". [6]
All compositions by Cleveland Eaton, Morris Jennings and Ramsey Lewis except as indicated
The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads characterized by the falsetto of Russell Thompkins Jr. and the production of Thom Bell. During the early 1970s, the group had twelve consecutive R&B top ten hits, including "Stop, Look, Listen", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up to Make Up" and "You Make Me Feel Brand New", which earned them 5 gold singles and 3 gold albums.
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on November 19, 1996, by NPG Records and EMI Records as a triple album. The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with which he had a contentious relationship. The album was Prince's third to be released that year, which made 1996 one of the most prolific years for material released by Prince.
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
"Betcha by Golly, Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, originally titled "Keep Growing Strong" and recorded by American actress and singer Connie Stevens under the Bell label in 1970. Stevens' recording runs two minutes and thirty seconds. The composition later became a hit when it was released by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics in 1972 under its better known title, "Betcha by Golly, Wow".
The Stylistics is the debut album by American R&B group the Stylistics, released in November 1971 on the Avco record label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. The album has been called "a sweet soul landmark."
"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Luther Ingram, whose original recording topped the R&B chart for four weeks and rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 16 song for 1972.
Cleveland Josephus Eaton II was an American jazz double bassist, producer, arranger, composer, publisher, and head of his own record company in Fairfield, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. His most famous accomplishments were playing with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and the Count Basie Orchestra. His 1975 recording Plenty Good Eaton is considered a classic in the funk music genre. He was inducted into both the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
Phyllis Hyman is the self-titled solo debut studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Phyllis Hyman. It was released by Buddah Records in 1977. The album charted at number 107 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Sun Goddess is a jazz album by Ramsey Lewis, released on Columbia Records in 1974. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Sun Goddess was also certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
Billboard Hot Soul Hits is a series of compilation albums released by Rhino Records in 1995, compiling 50 hit soul music recordings, which were popular in the 1970s. Five albums were released, containing ten songs from a specific year from 1970 through 1974. This series follows Rhino's Billboard Top R&B Hits series which covers the years 1955-1969. It is followed chronologically by Billboard Hot R&B Hits, covering the years 1980-1989, skipping the years 1975-1979.
Gleam is a live album recorded in 1975 by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It was released as a double LP on CBS/Sony and features a live performance recorded in Tokyo by Hubbard, Carl Randall, George Cables, Henry Franklin, Carl Burnett and Buck Clark.
Goin' Latin is a studio jazz album with Latin percussion and style by Ramsey Lewis which was released by Cadet Records in 1967. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Soul Albums chart.
Another Voyage is a studio album by the Ramsey Lewis Trio issued in 1969 on Cadet Records. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 34 upon the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart.
Don't It Feel Good is a 1975 funk/jazz-funk album by Ramsey Lewis released on Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.
Live at The Lighthouse is a live album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring a performance recorded at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California in 1972 and released on the Blue Note label.
You Are My Starship is an album by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania jazz drummer Norman Connors. Released in 1976 on Buddah Records, it featured bass player/vocalist Michael Henderson and Philadelphia vocalist Phyllis Hyman. The album reached number five on the US R&B chart and number one on the Jazz chart.
Morris Jennings was an American drummer and musician from Chicago. He recorded as Moe Jennings, M. Jennings, Maurice Jennings, Morris "Gator" Jennings, and Morris Jennings Jr.
Back to the Roots is an album by pianist Ramsey Lewis which was recorded in 1971 and released on the Cadet label.
Upendo Ni Pamoja is an album by the pianist Ramsey Lewis, recorded in 1972. It was his first release for the Columbia label, after a decade with Chess Records in Chicago.
The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis released on May 10, 1972, by Columbia Records and continues in the tradition set by his recent studio releases of covering mostly current chart hits. A trio of selections on side one ("Love Theme from 'The Godfather' (Speak Softly Love)", "Theme from 'Summer of 42' (The Summer Knows)", and "Brian's Song (The Hands of Time)") originated as film scores and had lyrics added later.
