Born Again

Description

Young-Holt Unlimited was an American soul and jazz instrumental ensemble from Chicago. Their album "Born Again" is a perfect reflection of its era, without sounding dated. We are in early 1971, in the aftermath of the summers of love and hate, the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., and at the height of the Vietnam War. Young-Holt Unlimited wanted to create music capable of bringing people together in this tense context and offering a more spiritual, dance-friendly atmosphere, as Isaac "Redd" Holt explains in the liner notes. The album opens with a swinging version of "I'll Be There." The groove is catchy, fluid, and almost gospel; it is simply breathtaking. Likewise, an extended version of George Harrison's "Something" is an ecstatic and mesmerizing experience. Other covers, such as "We've Only Just Begun" and "Make It With You" by Bread, sound as much like anthems of reconciliation and brotherhood as love songs. The tempos are light, and the textured production elements — credited to the mysterious and enigmatic duo of Saturday Night Music Inc. — unfold and shimmer in the mixes. If Young and Holt wanted to convey a unifying message, it was through the groove, and a spiritual groove at that. It is positive, uplifting, thought-provoking, and irresistibly catchy. Born Again is a success across the board. The group has been sampled over 200 times, primarily in hip-hop.