The bold, ambitious
Down to Earth represents
Eddie Floyd's most daring break from the classic Stax sound. Produced and arranged in collaboration with the great
Steve Cropper, its muscular soul sound draws heavily on psychedelic rock sensibilities, favoring extended jams, mutating tempos, and thick, bubbling rhythms.
Cropper's scorching guitar is as much a focal point as
Floyd's raw, desperate vocals. Together they transform
Curtis Mayfield's aching "People Get Ready" into electric kool-aid gospel, while the blues-rock epic "When the Sun Goes Down" owes as much to
Cream as
Willie Dixon. If anything,
Down to Earth proves too radical a departure, pushing
Floyd so far afield that critical elements feel forced and inauthentic. Still, when the risks pay off (e.g., the lysergic-minded "Linda Sue Dixon"), the record soars. ~ Jason Ankeny