Take a Look at Yourself pushes
Eddie Russ even closer to slick, satin-lined disco -- the grooves are more earthbound than on the preceding
See the Light, but its bold, rich arrangements nevertheless pulsate with energy and imagination. Paired with Detroit veterans including trumpeter
Marcus Belgrave and alto saxophonist George Benson,
Russ still favors the kind of epic-scale structures of jazz, but the radiant, multi-layered synthesizers and dancefloor rhythms clearly evoke contemporary soul, topped off by Jackie Holiday's soaring vocals on "Don't Ask My Neighbors" and "I Heard That." A solid listen, if not particularly challenging. [
Take a Look at Yourself was reissued on CD in 2008 as part of a Soul Brother two-fer alongside
See the Light.] ~ Jason Ankeny