Category Archives: Funk
CHIC-TAKE IT OFF.
CHIC-TAKE IT OFF. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a group or artists’ star can wane. In some cases, this is because the quality of their music is no longer as good as it once was, or it can be because their music is no longer fashionable. With Chic, the demise in popularity …
SMOKEY ROBINSON-SMOKEY’S FAMILY ROBINSON.
SMOKEY ROBINSON-SMOKEY’S FAMILY ROBINSON. In a previous review, I reviewed one of Smokey Robinson’s solo albums, Quiet Storm, which released in 1975. This a critically acclaimed and landmark album, one that spawned its own musical genre Quiet Storm. The music on Quiet Storm was very different to most of the music being released in 1975. …
STEVIE WONDER-MUSIC OF MY MIND.
STEVIE WONDER-MUSIC OF MY MIND. When Stevie Wonder was recording Music of My Mind, he neither knew nor realized that this was the first album in a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. Between 1972, when Music of My Mind was released, until Songs In the Key In Life in 1976. These two …
CHOCOLATE MILK-ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS.
CHOCOLATE MILK-ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS. During their career, Chocolate Milk recorded with both Allen Toussaint and Paul McCartney and released eight albums. Of these eight albums, their debut album Action Speaks Louder Than Words is probably the best known. Released in 1975, Action Speaks Louder Than Words is a mixture of funk and soul. …
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-HARVEST FOR THE WORLD.
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-HARVEST FOR THE WORLD. What people forget about when they talk about The Isley Brothers career is both the longevity of their career and how successful a career they had. In a career that saw them release their first album Shout in 1959 and their last album Baby Makin’ Music in 2006, they …
AL KENT-THE BEST OF DISCO DEMANDS.
AL KENT-THE BEST OF DISCO DEMANDS. Now previously, I’ve written about quite a few disco compilations, but never one like this. This is something quite different and very special. The other disco compilations I’ve reviewed were good, very good, but this takes disco compilations to a new level. Whereas the other compilations had either one …
L.T.D.-SOMETHING TO LOVE.
L.T.D.-SOMETHING TO LOVE. I’ve always been one of these people who studies sleeve notes on albums carefully, to see which musicians played on an album, or even who arranged or produced the album. Sometimes this pays off, because you end up finding some great music. Often, I buy an album blind, having never heard it …
SHATTERED DREAMS-FUNKY BLUES 1967-1978.
SHATTERED DREAMS-FUNKY BLUES 1967-1978. Over the many years I’ve been collecting first vinyl, even tapes and now CDs, I’ve lost count of the number of compilation albums I’ve bought. I won’t admit to what the total must be, all I’ll say is that it’s into four figures, so you can speculate to your hearts content. …
SHUGGIE OTIS-FREEDOM FLIGHT.
SHUGGIE OTIS-FREEDOM FLIGHT. What’s the best way to describe Shuggie Otis? Prodigious, musical virtuoso and vastly underrated is a good start. Certainly Shuggie was something of a child prodigy, first playing the guitar aged two, and playing with his father Johnny’s band from the age of twelve. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Shuggie released …
BOBBY WOMACK-COMMUNICATION.
BOBBY WOMACK-COMMUNICATION. Recently, I was reading an article about Bobby Womack collaborating with Damon Albarn for Bobby’s forthcoming album The Bravest Man In the Universe. Bobby had chosen Damon to produce his new album, which will be his first secular album since 1994s Soul Seduction Supreme, a stunning live set. Since then, Bobby hasn’t produced …
THE DRAMATICS-A DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE.
THE DRAMATICS-A DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE. Some time ago, I reviewed The Dramatics debut album Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get, which had recently been rereleased and remastered. What many people didn’t realize was that included on the album was their second album A Dramatic Experience. Their first album Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get had been a huge …
JAMES BROWN-BLACK CAESAR.
JAMES BROWN-BLACK CAESAR. Recently, I was listening to Isaac Hayes who recorded one of my favorite Blaxploitation albums Shaft, made me revisit some of my favorite Blaxploitation albums, including Black Caesar, written and performed by James Brown. This was a 1973 Blaxploitation film written and directed by Larry Cohen, which starred Fred Williamson and Gloria …
ISAAC HAYES-HOT BUTTERED SOUL.
ISAAC HAYES-HOT BUTTERED SOUL. As someone who is a huge fan of the Stax record label, I’ve always loved the music of Isaac Hayes. He was one of the creative forces behind Stax, writing many of the songs for many artists on the label, many with David Porter, one of his songwriting partners. Not only …
O.V. WRIGHT-WE”RE STILL TOGETHER.
O.V. WRIGHT-WE”RE STILL TOGETHER. I’ve always thought that O.V. Wright was one of the most underrated Southern Soul singers of his generation. In some ways, his music was overshadowed by the success of Al Green, who was on the same label as O.V. Hi Records. Whereas, Al Green had numerous critically acclaimed albums, O.V. only …
THE TEMPTATIONS-ALL DIRECTIONS.
THE TEMPTATIONS-ALL DIRECTIONS. When The Temptations were recording what became All Directions, the group were determined not two songs that eventually appeared on the album. One of these songs was Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and The Temptations were absolutely determined not to record the song. They felt that the song wouldn’t provide them with …
DONNY HATHAWAY-DONNY HATHAWAY
DONNY HATHAWAY-DONNY HATHAWAY After listening to Lala Hathaway’s album Where It All Begins, I thought that I’d revisit her father Donny Hathaway’s eponymous second album, Donny Hathaway. Previously, I’ve written about Donny’s stunning debut album Everything Is Everything, released in July 1970. On its release, the critically acclaimed Everything Is Everything reached number seventy-three in …
DJ ROGERS-ON THE ROAD AGAIN.
DJ ROGERS-ON THE ROAD AGAIN. Some time ago, I wrote about DJ Rogers debut album for RCA Records It’s Good To Be Alive, released in 1975, which gave him a hit album, reaching number thirty-six US R&B charts. Sadly, the story of DJ Rogers is one of an artist with a huge amount of talent, …
EDDIE HAZEL-GAMES, DAMES AND GUITAR THANGS.
EDDIE HAZEL-GAMES, DAMES AND GUITAR THANGS. A few years ago, in 2006, I was listening to an Atlantic Records box set What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves 1967-1977, when I came across an Eddie Hazel track California Dreamin.’ Wow, the Mama and Papas song never sounded like this I remember. I started trying …
CHIC-REAL PEOPLE.
CHIC-REAL PEOPLE. Last week, I was lucky enough to get a copy of Nile Rodgers new autobiography Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco and Destiny which was truly, a fascinating read. It dealt with not just his music career, but his early family life. Now I’ve many similar books over the years, …
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