James Brown - I'm Real (Expanded) (2015)

Re-Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Sean Brennan, at Battery Studio’s, New York

I'm Real is the 1988 album by James Brown and was released on the Scotti Bros. Records label. All of the tracks were produced, written and arranged by Full Force, with the exception of "I'm Real" (co-written by Full Force and Brown) and "It's Your Money $" (written and produced solely by Brown).

A couple of years after Brown's return to the Top Ten with "Living In America," James decided to take a further shot at updating his sound with the help of the production team of Full Force.

"Can't Git Enuf" became a clever collage of James-sounding riffs and a cracking percussion track; "She Looks All Types A' Good" and "Keep Keepin'" are dance tracks lifted into the stratosphere by the return of Maceo Parker: the minimal arrangement gives Maceo maximal blowing room.

James shows how "fresh" he can be on the album, with the prime example of "Static Pts 1 & 2". During the entire song, you hear the static from the old vinyl which instantly gives track the "classic" sound, but I’m Real is an '80's album.

If you are a true James Brown fan, this album will satisfy you and in 2015, the sound of this album is as fresh as the sounds back in ‘88.