Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

One day in 1978 I took my newly saved self to an independent record store in Newcastle and began witnessing to the guy behind the counter who responded by saying, "If you're into things spiritual, you should check out this album". He then handed me Seawind's self-titled album. I've been thanking God for that man ever since for introducing me to California's Seawind. The band were all top session-standard players fronted by the delightful voice of Pauline Wilson. Their horn section played on Michael Jackson's biggest albums and here they and the rest of the band are allowed to stretch out a little bit on this set of '70s jazz funk. So you get a mixture of shorter catchier tracks with Ms Wilson to the fore like "We Got A Way", "He Loves You" and "You Gotta Be Willing To Lose". The highlight here is "The Devil Is A Liar" with its wonderful tight funkiness. The second side of the album allows the band to deliver some extended jazz fusion pieces, particularly on the final tracks "Praises (Part 1)" and "Roadways (Parts I And II)". Without doubt, Seawind were a class act!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.