Pianist Ramsey Lewis has returned to the electric side on his funkiest recording in years. Taking Another Look is in part a revisiting of Lewis' highly-regarded 1974 classic Sun Goddess. On that album Lewis demonstrated his chops on a level approaching Herbie Hancock's. Lewis' performances on ARP synthesizers and Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, as well as acoustic piano and electric guitar, earned the already-successful keyboardist and composer scores of new fans the way Hancock's first Headhunters albums had cast a net out to funk lovers a year earlier.
Taking Another Look sees the now 76-year-old Lewis re-recording five selections from Sun Goddess plus five new tracks. The burning synthesized funk of "Tambura" gives "Chameleon" a run for its money. The expressive acoustic piano lines of "Love Song" are wholly engrossing and reveal layers of motifs within. An interpretation of the Stevie Wonder song, "Living For The City" was the centerpiece of Sun Goddess. As the album's title implies, Lewis "takes another look" at the nearly-forty-year-old classic and finds the redux just as vital and engaging. "Jungle Strut" boasts an infectious drum groove, a punchy upright bass solo and searing synthesizer licks. The re-realized "Sun Goddess" is shorter than the original by three-and-a-half minutes but it serves as a modern counterpart to the aged vintage of its predecessor. The new tracks tend to be more acoustic piano-centric yet no less groovy. "Intimacy" (featured on this edition of SNJ), "Betcha By Golly Wow," "To Know Her," and "Sharing Her Journey" all make for excellent sonic voyages, but it's a safe bet the funk-fusion numbers that inspired this release will cast more light.
