Do you appreciate songs from overlooked albums, solo projects and one off records?
Today I want to share the epitome of one off solo and overlooked albums.
High Wire from Ernie Isley is all of those things. It is also a brilliant album start to finish. A project that highlighted just how talented Ernie is.
When Ernie made this record, The Isley Brothers were stalled by infighting and poor decisions. Sales were flat and the band was at each others throats...
Ernie wanted out but was under contract for one more record.
So he sat at his home studio and made one.
Alone.
There were two or three guest musicians who helped with some over dubs and harmonies in post production but over 90% of all the vocals and instruments are Ernie - all by himself.
Freed from expectations to play the funky R&B or romantic ballads like the Isley Brothers were known for Ernie wrote a wide ranging daring set of songs loosely based on one particular guitar riff.
This riff right here
Parts of that 34 second riff were echoed in this gentle R&B melody
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But it was also the core of a blistering hard rock jam that is as strong as any 80s rock anthem you'd care to name
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Of course, he is Ernie so somewhere in between those two extremes is where he lives and breathes
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