Lite Me Up!

I know we had some Herbie Hancock here recently, but I don't think you can have too much. I put Motor Mouth on by chance last week and can't stop listening to it. I love the way that from the first bar - just four beats - you know it's going to be an awesome track. The effortless shuffle that starts after the opening drum roll, the bassline made of pure funk, the little synth lines, those great disco string stabs and the wonderfully loose guitar hooks; it all fits together perfectly. The lyrics are quite nice too, with Herbie bemoaning some gossip queen or another in the verse. He is joined in the chorus by some female vocals and the vocoder is wheeled out again in the bridge. As the track progresses, flute flourishes compliment the groove, brass stabs join the strings and there is a short synth solo.

Herbie Hancock - Motor Mouth Zshare | YSI

Released on CBS in 1982, Lite Me Up is a very solid LP of smooth disco-funk. Gettin' To The Good Part is particularly notable, with its sweet chord progressions and sexy mood. Also look out for the big and bold Can't Hide Your Love. With the exception of 2 tracks, it was produced by Herbie himself. A large part of the song-writing (including Motor Mouth) was done by Rod Temperton, probably most famous for his contributions to the early Michael Jackson albums. So if you like the style of Off The Wall then you could do far worse than grabbing a copy of this. Should be cheap too!