Search - Boz Scaggs :: Silk Degrees

Lanky Texan neo-soul crooner and underrated guitar warrior Boz Scaggs was a Steve Miller Band alumnus who jumped ship to probe silky R&B instead of gritty blues, the Miller Band's original milieu, and each of his early '70s solo albums polished the mix toward this triumphant zenith. Hindsight too often devalues Silk Degrees for its snug fit with the disco aesthetic that prevailed upon its mid-'70s release, and the style's rhythmic signatures do bubble up significantly, particularly on the best-known track, "Lowdown," which can't help but risk museum-piece status if only for its ubiquity on the radio. Yet Scaggs's lyric intelligence and the skintight playing of a studio band built around what would soon become Toto (!) makes this a modern classic, as noteworthy for its ballads ("We're All Alone," "Harbor Lights") as for its workouts ("Georgia," "Lido Shuffle"), and a typically smart cover choice in a great version of Allen Toussaint's "What Do You Want The Girl to Do." --Sam Sutherland