K— F—

Album of the day. It's hard to believe Shuggie Otis was only 18 years old when he recorded this, his second solo album, Freedom Flight. He had long cut his teeth as a veteran guitarist, both on the road and in the studio, thanks to his father, R&B and blues legend Johnny Otis. So his skills were already well-developed by the time he made this monster psychedelic-blues-soul-funk opus, highlighted by the original version of his best-known song, "Strawberry Letter 23" (which became a huge smash when the Brothers Johnson covered it six years later on their 1977 release, Right On Time). A true "musician's musician," Shuggie plays a bunch of instruments (very well) and shows himself to be a great bassist as he is a guitarist. Also, heavyweights like George Duke, Wilton Felder, and Aynsley Dunbar guesting on here doesn't hurt at all. While Shuggie may have not been a household name in his heyday, any true music aficionado will agree that this classic reinforces the idea of Shuggie being the true missing link between Sly Stone and Prince.