Everybody Wants To Sing Like D.J........... Posted by Junior

D.J. Rogers: Listen To The Message and Take Time From: D.J. Rogers [Shelter, 1973] I ain't gonna lie, I'm fiending for some feedback at the moment. The comments sections has been pretty unloved in recent weeks and it's starting to bug me. Kevin did ask this question before and I always swore that I would never become one of those feedback hungry bloggers but I feel forced into asking head on. Our hits are pretty constant so why no feedback these days? Is it the music chosen? The rise of the full album blog? Or is that the original interest in Mp3 blogging has now died down to a casual interest to visit and download then move on? Yes, sorry for the soul searching, but be assured that we do this for you. If you're not interested in the music posted, let us know. If you think an album I've raved about is actually a steaming pile of shit, tell me (lord knows I could do with a reality check now and again, as could my bank balance). On the flip, if there's music you think we should feature let us know and we'll see what we can do. We are here to serve. The commitment is there to take Ear Fuzz on to even greater things but, to put it plainly, it's all for nothing if all we get is radio silence as the beauty of being a blog is all about the two way interaction. Anyway, with my pitiful plea for love out of the way, it's on with the music and, in my personal opinion at least, an absolutely fantastic record that's been widely ignored for the last 35 years. D.J. Rogers is most commonly known these days for his releases on RCA but today we're focusing on his less well known but quite stunning debut, the 1973 self-titled release on Shelter. Try finding this one on a full album blog (I kid, I kid). With a sound more akin to The Family Stone than his later releases, Rogers absolutely slays me with this record. Listen To The Message is an outstanding piece of soul funk with it's staggered beat and layered instrumentation as Rogers does his best Sly impression over the top. All you modern funk guys with your attempts at Voodoo style meandering, THIS is what it's supposed to sound like - it takes a lot of work to make music sound this smooth and effortless without ever losing the tune. Take Time is another great slice of stoned funk that does a job nicely, heavier on the horns and backing vocals than Listen To The Message but just as sweet. Hearing stuff like this helps remind me how much I love this type of music. The album's yet to be reissued but we can still hope - stranger things have happened. Love it? Hate it? Distinctly unimpressed? Let me know.......