Reach for It

Reach for It, George Duke’s first album for Epic/CBS, delivered with its title song, which instantly turned the conservatory-trained Duke into an icon of '70s funk. With its hard, unhurried bassline, “Reach for It” would later become a cornerstone of the gangsta rap movement, where it was revered alongside works by Parliament-Funkadelic and The Ohio Players. “Watch Out Baby!” further demonstrated Duke’s mastery of the funk idiom, but the rest of the album was devoted to concurrent passions: synthesizer textures, jazz improvisation, Brazilian music. Though there are hundreds of ideas and impulses spinning through the album, Duke makes them all feel like part of a single thrilling romp. The swirling textures of “Omi (Fresh Water)” and “Diamonds” were a throwback to the all-inclusive, cross-genre jams that Duke had experienced as a member of the San Francisco scene in the '60s. Though he’ll be best remembered as a bandleader and keyboard virtuoso, Duke’s most underrated talent was balladry. “Bring It on Home” and “Just for You” are as sultry and haunted as anything by Sly Stone.