El Michels Affair – Walk On By (A Tribute To Isaac Hayes)

12 years later and I’m still not sure about the provenance of this pressing but I can’t believe there is no link to it from this EP/page....
10 tracks with a proper 12” treatment
https://www.discogs.com/The-Memphis-Sounds-Ikes-Moods/release/1781190

Nice ... but not amazing, never surpassing one of the original versions. More a "finger exercise" for later cover projects. (Incidentally it's a bit sad this one is lost among the 7" singles. Personally I consider it to be an album, at 27'24" (there's been short albums before). But okay, the label catalogue number says it's a 7 track EP and not a mini-album or albumette.)

My copy looked perfectly fine all sealed, but upon opening the record showed a sharp bend - a 10 degree warp on 1/4 of the record - likely from being sealed too tightly and poorly shipped or sealed while still warm at the factory. Neither the label or distributor responded to emails. Was able to get a playable record after paying for flattening with an orb machine. Be wary of sealed copies.

That said, it's an enjoyable little album, although I wish they'd done another tune instead of slapping an edit of WOB at the end of side B.

Another hot one from this 'buy-on-site' band. El Michels Affair are one of the more spot-on soul/funk/groove bands to come along in the past few decades. Seriously, it isn't common to find a post-1970's recording that sounds this authentic and warm in this particular genre. These guys always bring it, both musically and engineering-wise (I'm not saying Rudy Van Gelder or anything, YET, but really, these guys know what they are doing behind the boards and mics). This EP rivals their recent Wu-Tang tribute full length release, which is really saying something. They truly capture Isaac Hayes' flavorful laid back sound. My only regret is that it's only an EP. I'm sure all Isaac Hayes fans out there will be saying the same thing: "damn! I wish they did a version of "Fill in the Blank." But, it's all good. I'm just glad these guys are recording and pressing wax. Sure-fire collectables. And the best part is that their original material is equally awesome: "Sounding Out The City" is still a phenomenal release that leaves you wanting more. Looking forward to more!