From Me To You - The Definitive Collection 1977-2000

As a solo artist, George Duke wed everything from jazz, fusion, and funk to Brazilian music, R&B, classical, and pop. His catalog has been anthologized in several previous box sets from the various labels he recorded for, including Germanys MPS. The five-disc From Me to You: The Definitive Collection from Robinsongs is the first cross-licensed multi-disc retrospective. Highlighting his tenures with Epic, Warner Bros., and Elektra between 1977 and 2000, it includes 78 tracks from his solo outings and seven more from the Clarke/Duke Project alongside Stanley Clarke. After establishing his reputation as a solo artist with MPS, Duke signed to Epic. His debut album, From Me to You, is represented by seven tracks, including the Zappa-esque title cut and contemporary groove ballad "You and Me," sung by Dukes cousin Dianne Reeves. 1977s Reach for It is his most commercially successful record. Its title-track single went Top Five at R&B, while the album peaked at number 25 in the Top 200. Its represented by seven cuts including "Watch Out Baby" and the Brazilian fusion jam "Hot Fire." 1978s Dont Let Go boasts the funk anthem "Dukey Stick," "Movin On," "The Way I Feel," and four more selections. Disc two begins with tracks from the disco set Follow the Rainbow. Alongside funk jams "Party Down" and "Funkin for the Thrill" are glorious groove ballads including "Straight from the Heart." Also from 1979 are cuts from Master of the Game, a driving, funky disco-samba set represented by "I Love You More." In 1980, Duke, with a new band, released the enduring A Brazilian Love Affair, a glorious weave of samba, bossa, and R&B that includes Milton Nascimentos "Cravo e Canela" and the bossa-jazz in "Summer Breezin." Disc three commences with five cuts from the Clarke/Duke Projects eponymous debut including the contemporary jazz tune "Sweet Baby," the driving pop/rock jam "Finding My Way," and the funky pop song "Wild Dog." There are several cuts each from Dukes final three albums for the label: 1982s Dream On, 1983s futurist R&B set Guardian of the Light, and 1984s Rendezvous. "Heroes" from the The Clarke/Duke Project II closes it. Dukes Elektra period is represented here with several tracks each from three albums: 1985s Thief in the Night (including a vocal remix of its hit title track), 1986s George Duke ("Island Girl"), and the smooth jazz set Night After Night ("Brazilian Coffee"). The Clarke/Duke Project delivered 3 in 1990; its three tracks here include a cover of Parliaments "Mothership Connection." Also included are Duke cuts from 1992s Snapshot, 1996s Is Love Enough?, 1998s After Hours, and 2000s Cool. The sets closing track, "If You Will," features iconic Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim. The remastered sound is excellent, as is the informative liner essay by journalist Charles Waring. If one pairs From Me to You: The Definitive Collection with The Era Will Prevail (The MPS Studio Years 1973-1976), one creates a historically accurate, musically authoritative overview of Dukes solo career. ~ Thom Jurek