As phenomenally popular as
Earth, Wind & Fire was from the mid-'70s to the early '80s, it's easy to forget that the band was hardly an overnight success. With
Head to the Sky --
EWF's fourth album overall, second with
Philip Bailey, and second for
Columbia --
Maurice White's very spiritual and ambitious brand of
soul and
funk was starting to pay off commercially. The
Latin-influenced
"Evil" became the soulsters' biggest hit up to that point, and material ranging from the hauntingly pretty title song (which boasts one of
Bailey's finest performances ever) to the
jazz fusion gem
"Zanzibar" is just as rewarding. The lineup
White unveiled with
Last Days and Time was working out beautifully;
Bailey was clearly proving to be a major asset. Also worth noting is the presence of singer
Jessica Cleaves, who left after this album and, several years later, resurfaced in
George Clinton's eccentric female group
the Brides of Funkenstein.
EWF still had what was basically a cult following, but that was beginning to change with
Head to the Sky. And when
EWF took off commercially in 1974 and 1975, many new converts went back and saw for themselves just how excellent an album
Head to the Sky was. ~ Alex Henderson
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