The soundtrack album that paved the way for the blaxploitation explosion, Shaft set the template that other soul/R’n’B soundtracks tended to follow: an uptempo title track full of Latin percussion, wah-wah guitar and sweeping orchestration, several low-tempo soul-jazz mood pieces, a couple of vocal tracks and a couple of funk instrumentals. What Hayes did brilliantly here was to use the musical language and sonic palette of R’n’B and apply them to a film soundtrack, using jazzy guitar licks, Stax-esque horn lines and funky beats to create mood and elicit emotion. A classic soundtrack.