Yet, the ballads redeem Juicy Fruit, faring far better than the dance tunes. The delicate “Lady of the Night” a heartbreaking tale of a widower’s love for a prostitute showcases Hayes at his romantic best. “What do you want out of life/true love or a higher price/what are you searching for for”. This is the tender, sensual sound we identify with Isaac Hayes.
The CD cover, an approximation of the original gatefold sleeve, is the most intriguing thing about Juicy Fruit. It features Hayes and a group of scantily clad Carmen Miranda imitators wading in a pool. The inside cover shows Hayes and the models with their unmentionables 'round their ankles. So colorfully tacky and utterly '70s!
Bill Dahl's liner notes trace the album's genesis, and contain a great mid-70s pic of Hayes with gold chains wrapped round his bald head onstage with dashiki and caftan wearing band members. Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) reminds us how the frivolity of the disco explosion caught even serious musicians off-guard. It’s a footnote in Hayes' long career, and remains more of a curiosity than a full-blooded album.
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