Black Moses

『Shaft』のサウンドトラックの成功後、1971年にSTAXからリリースされた2枚組LPが本作。
ジャクソン5の大ヒット曲”Never Can Say Goodbye”のカヴァーは当時Billboard Hot 100で22位まで上がり、本作はアイザック・ヘイズの代表作ともいえる作品でマルチ・インストゥルメンタル・シンガー/ソングライター/プロデューサーとしてマルチの才能を全面的に開花させたR&Bの名盤。

Rolling Stone (p.79) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[Hayes] mourns a collapsed marriage across two discs that seem to spin in slow motion as Hayes flexes masculine strength through vulnerability." Spin (p.95) - "[Hayes] played the prophet of heartbreak, delivering two platters of wistful covers wrapped in symphonic strings..." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "What he brought to the '70s party, apart from sheer chutzpah...was sonic nous, the ability to play an entire studio and to integrate technical innovations like fuzztone and wah-wah guitars." Living Blues (p.62) - "BLACK MOSES is an emotionally lush set....BLACK MOSES is probably most closely associated with its lead single, Haye's stirring version of the Jackson 5's 'Never Can Say Goodbye'..." Pitchfork (Website) - "[I]t was a massively ambitious statement album, a collection of covers and originals that documented the collapse of Hayes' marriage. It was an enormous success..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.94) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Hayes' most heartbreakingly intimate, emotionally sincere and brave release." Clash (Magazine) (p.112) - "This album's spiraling grooves and lush sonic landscapes have inspired everyone from hip hop producers to Portishead..."