#486

Impressions:  Not sure why, but I had a feeling this was gonna be a monster. But, I realized for the benefit of the blog, I must manage expectations and approach this album dispassionately. I was so dispassionate that I went on Spotify and listened to the wrong album. As it turned out, I listened to the live version of this album first by accident, (which was awesome with tons of energy and air-tight funk showmanship)…then listened to he studio version and didn’t change my mind. All throughout, light, crazy high vocals with stone-cold funky grooves and possibly the finest horn section known to man. Their big hit “Shining Star” shows their funk bonafides, and they go from there. The title track grooves along and sounds like, in the best possible way, a song to serve as a soundtrack while you pass away into the gates of heaven. They mix funk jams and ballads nicely and even though Maurice White sometimes sounds like he’s taking himself a little too seriously, the funk/jazz/r&b mix of music never disappoints. They even throw in some African and Latin sounds without sounding terrible. A pleasure throughout.