Caldwell, Bobby - Cat In The Hat (Vinyl)

Bobby Caldwell - Cat In The Hat (Vinyl)

Bobby Caldwell's second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is a work of soulful sophistication. Featuring the eternal "Open Your Eyes", sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", it's about as essential as records get. Like its eponymous predecessor, it's been out of print for far too long. Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends.

His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted. The reissue of Cat In The Hat has been remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston, it has been pressed at Record Industry in Holland.

Tracklisting:

1. Coming Down From Love
2. Wrong or Right
3. To Know What You've Got
4. You Promised Me
5. It's Over
6. Open Your Eyes
7. Mother of Creation
8. I Don't Want to Lose Your Love