On his fourth album
My Time
,
Boz Scaggs
'
pop
side truly begins to surface in earnest -- or, rather, he begins to channel his
smooth soul
into a
package, pushing the funky workouts that dominated the previous
Boz & Band
toward the background and putting emphasis directly on the song. There's still a bit of grit here --
"Full-Lock Power Slide"
charges forward on blaring guitars and organs -- but
Scaggs
takes a cue from
"Hello My Lover"
and
"Freedom for the Stallion,"
the
Allen Toussaint
tunes he covers here, and gives this an easy, relaxed feel, one that's classy and seductive without being gauche. This is elegant, soulful music, with
effortlessly hitting his marks on both the strutting
and his original heartbreak ballad
"Might Have to Cry."
One of the best things about
is how his impeccably chosen covers fit seamlessly with his originals, to the point that it's hard to tell that
"Old Time Lovin'"
is an
Al Green
tune, which also points out
growth as a songwriter. And not only are his songs getting better, they're getting more distinctive and, in retrospect, the cheerful
"We're Gonna Roll,"
and especially the opening
"Dinah Flo,"
point the way toward
Silk Degrees
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine