David Liebman - Light'n Up, Please! (1977)

Allied with Pee Wee Ellis of James Brown fame, Dave Liebman plunges headlong into funk in the wake of Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters, but his heart doesn't seem to be in it. At times, he sounds bored playing R&B riffs that he seemed to have outgrown at the time, lapsing into free jazz flurries in an effort to stay interested, and the rhythm section is leaden. The whole thing is recorded with a dry, airless ambience, possibly emulating Head Hunters and its sought-after riches but no, it didn't translate into anything close to a gold record. Leon Thomas makes some fairly ridiculous vocal appearances on the energetic but mindless funk of "Children of the Ghetto" and the pale imitation of a JB groove, "Got to Work." Yet there are a few moments, particularly on "Tranquility of the Protective Aura," where Liebman's lovely soprano is permitted to soar unimpeded. The title of the album refers either to photography or cigarettes, depending upon which side of the cover you're looking at.