Coming to the close of his tenure with Epic records, Duke's great work seemed to be overshadowed by bunk.
At the same time, he was becoming an in-demand producer with assignments from Jeffrey Osborne, Phillip Bailey, and Deniece Williams filling his schedule.
Guardian of the Light reflects that strain.
Released in 1983, Guardian of the Light also had the added baggage of a hard-to-follow concept of a fictional character's mystical exploits.
This being George Duke, although the idea is odd, he was sure to get some good songs done here.
It doesn't come easily however.
Despite the good intentions, "Light," "Shane," and "Reach Out" differ little from the melodically challenged songs that typified his post-Brazilian Love Affair efforts.
That being said, Guardian of the Light does include a classic.
The gorgeous and soaring "You (Are the Light)" has Duke giving a particularly strong vocal performance.
Duke also does one of his best Rhodes solos on the track as well.
"Born to Love You" is also very affecting.
This album closes with the rock-influenced and surprisingly effective "Fly Away." This effort is worth seeking out for its highs, but the middling work does seem to win out here.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OvertureGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 01:38 | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| 2 | LightGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | ShaneGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | Born To Love YouGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | Silly Fightin'George Duke | George Duke | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | You (Are the Light)George Duke | George Duke | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | The War Fugue InterludeGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 01:13 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 8 | Reach OutGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 9 | Give Me Your LoveGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | StandGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 02:14 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 11 | SoonGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 12 | CelebrateGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 13 | Fly AwayGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 14 | CelebrateGeorge Duke | George Duke | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 15 | Reach Out (12'' Single Version) | George Duke | Play | 06:54 | 15 MB | 47 MB |
| 55 mins | 126 MB | |||||
| 55 mins | 360 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patti Austin | Guest Artist |
| 2 | Tony Calvert | Reissue Producer |
| 3 | Paulinho Da Costa | Guest Artist |
| 4 | George Duke | Composer, Liner Notes, Primary Artist |
| 5 | Louis Johnson | Guest Artist |
| 6 | Randy Mahon | Assistant Producer |
| 7 | Matt Murphy | Production Manager |
| 8 | Jeffrey Osborne | Guest Artist |
| 9 | John "4 Daddman" Robinson | Guest Artist |
| 10 | Michael Sembello | Guest Artist |
| 11 | Maria Triana | Mastering |
| 12 | Gavin Wallace | Package Design |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |