Published on Aug 8, 1999
If you followed the soul scene in the ’70s and early ’80s,
you’re aware that the duo of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were to
their scene what the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland were to Motown
in the ’60s. Working with such groups as The O’Jays, Teddy
Pendergrass and others, the songwriting team of Gamble and Huff
seemed to be unstoppable. Only when the freight train seemed to
slow down a bit did Huff dare to take the step of trying his hand
at a solo album – meaning without the help of Gamble or the
arrangers who had helped to shape hits for Philadelphia
International.
That disc,
Here To Create Music, was not the success that one might
have expected, but it has turned into not only a cult hit, but also
a highly prized collectible. Now, for the first time, the album has
been released on CD, presenting a side to the hit-making machine of
Philadelphia International that you might not have expected.
With rare exception, the music on this disc is mostly
instrumental; any vocals used (as on “Your Body Won’t Move, If You
Can’t Feel The Groove” or “I Ain’t Jivin’, I’m Jammin'”) are
secondary to the keyboard work from Huff and the grooves that he
strives to lay down in each track.
If the r&b and soul community would forgive me, one could
almost see
Here To Create Music as the birth of smooth jazz. The focus
of the music is on the groove; the spotlight shines brighter on
Huff’s keyboard work. There is not a concentrated effort to create
music that easily fits into the sound that made Philadelphia
International so famous in the ’70s – and that could be the reason
why this album didn’t sell that well in 1980. Quite possibly, the
record-buying public wasn’t ready for this new innovation.
And while it takes some time to get into this disc (it can’t
take too much, since the album clocks in at just over 35 minutes
for eight songs),
Here To Create Music turns out to be a pleasant surprise.
Tracks like “No Greater Love” (featuring the harmonica work of
Stevie Wonder), “Tasty” and the ballad-like “This One’s For Us” all
show not only Huff’s talents on the keyboard, but his ability to
write a song that moves both the heart and the mind.
Like I suggested before, sometimes the vocals tend to get in the
way of the grooves. The all-star cast on “Your Body Won’t Move, If
You Can’t Feel The Groove” (featuring Eddie Levert and Walter
Williams of The O’Jays, Pendergrass, The Jones Girls and Gene
McFadden & John Whitehead) almost creates the illusion that
some killer vocal is about to be laid down by Huff – and, sadly,
that never happens. It almost would have been better to have let
the melody run where it chose, and have let it lead the listener to
its own unique place. The same goes for “Tight Money” – but at
least with “I Ain’t Jivin’, I’m Jammin'”, the vocals don’t come in
until near the end.
Here To Create Music seemingly continues to plow its own
path, especially with the album closer “Latin Spirit,” featuring a
groove I haven’t heard since the glory days of War. It’s sad that
the album ends at this point, ’cause that’s when I was really
starting to get into the grooves that Huff was spinning; another 15
minutes’ worth would have been all I’d have asked for.
Huff’s only solo venture remains a watermark album to this day,
even if many people haven’t had the blessing to have heard it. Now
that it’s on CD,
Here To Create Music is readily available for everyone to
discover – and if you choose not to, that’s your loss.