Roy Ayers
A perfect record for sunny days, this classic record under Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity umbrella is full of funky anthems. The inaugural track “ Hey, Uh, What You Say Come On” calls listeners in with an energetic chant sung by an impassioned chorus. After about a minute the rest of the band comes in a jazz-funk fusion that is exciting and features a surprising mix of instruments from a spacey synthesizer to the humble harmonica. “You And Me My Love” is pure gospel, and evokes feelings of the collective ecstasy during service in a southern baptist church. Though the record captures the upbeat quintessential spirit of joy, tracks like “The Third Eye” offer gentle reprieves that allows Ayers vibraphones to really shine. This subdued mood reaches its apex with the namesake of the record, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine. It’s iconic declaration drives the track with a groove that’s hard not to love.
– Tana Yonas
Recommended – Full Listen
A1 Hey, Uh-What You Say Come On
A2 The Golden Rod
A3 Keep On Walking
A4 You And Me My Love
A5 The Third Eye
B1 It Ain’t Your Sign (It’s Your Mind)
B2 People And The World
B3 Everybody Loves The Sunshine
B4 Tongue Power
B5 Lonesome Cowboy
Arranged By, Producer, Vibraphone, Lead Vocals, Electric Piano, Synthesizer (Arp), Strings , Percussion, Backing Vocals – Roy Ayers
Electric Bass – John “Shaun” Solomon
Congas – Chano O’Ferral
Drums – Doug Rhodes
Engineer – James Green, Jerry Solomon
Guitar – Ronald “Head” Drayton
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Chicas
Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer (Arp), Strings (Ensemble) – Philip Woo
Producer – Maurice Green