With James "J.T." Taylor on vocals, Kool & The Gang continued to fire off the hits with subsequent albums. Riding the waves of their previous number one hit, Celebration, the group returned to the studio to record 1981's Something Special. With it came the top ten hit, Get Down On It, and the top twenty hit, Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It). While a third single followed, Steppin' Out, this wouldn't make much traction on the charts, stalling out at number eighty-nine).
Mind you, that was just their positions on the Billboard Hot 100. Over on the R&B charts, their singles were hitting harder. Get Down would peak at number four, Steppin' Out at twelve, and Take My Heart grabbing the number one spot. Something Special would also become the band's first album to peak in the UK, at number ten, making it their first big hit in that country.
Initially, the album contained eight tracks. However, when the CD age was ushered in, and a repressing of the album occurred, bonus track, Stop, was added at the end. This being the version I have, means I'll be taking a look at all nine tracks, versus the original.
Things start out with Steppin' Out, and the funky groove of disco is in full effect. It's an okay tune and got me in a better mood than their previously released Celebrate (1980).
Things ebbed and flowed, with tempos slowing down for the occasional ballad. Those didn't land to well with me, but then again, they typically don't. Ballads have never been my thing.
I did, however, find some tunes worth consideration for my now non-existent shuffle (still haven't found that IPOD). Those were: Be My Lady, Get Down On It, and Stand Up And Sing.
Overall, it was a step up from my prior listening experience, and it didn't make me hopefully that there's more good stuff to come from The Gang. There's not much more to say about this one, so I'll leave it there.
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