Blaxploitation cinema never exactly lived up to its full potential. Shaft and Superfly are kinda-sorta household names, but it's really more for Isaac Hayes's "can ya dig it?" on "Theme From Shaft" and Curtis Mayfield's float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee croonin' on "Pusherman" that these two films remain in moviegoers' memories to this day. Likewise with The Mack. Not many people seem to give a damn for Michael Campus's 1973 "social commentary", but Willie Hutch's accompanying soundtrack is firmly entrenched in the collections of soul/funk enthusiasts the world over. And it's no wonder, as this blaxploitation gem is positively brimming with cool ghetto vibes. Willie Hutch had worked through the 60's as a songwriter and producer for The Jackson 5, The Miracles, and Marvin Gaye, but this is where the Hutch legend really begins to take flight: 9 tracks of archetypal blaxploitation funk, without the gimmickry or Shaft or Superfly... just oceans of wah-wah guitar, earth-shaking bass, and hi-hat clatter. "Vampin'" sets the soundtrack off at a frantic pace, while "Mack Man (Got To Get Over)" drags satisfyingly along over an unstoppable slinky groove. Can ya dig it?
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