OK, so this isn't the kind discovery we normally feature in Backspin — Silk Degrees reached No. 2 in 1976 — but sometimes we like to issue a reminder when a 30-year-old iconic album holds up so damn well. The disco era was just starting to rev up when Scaggs unleashed this near-perfect melding of smooth dance beats, blue-eyed soul, uptown blues and pop hooks. His thick, honeyed voice is the perfect instrument for "Georgia," "What Can I Say," "Lowdown," "Harbor Lights" and the rest. Sony Legacy recently reissued the album with a crisp new remaster, including three new and spirited live tracks recorded at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
This article appears in Mar 7-13, 2007.