A funky concept album from George Duke! Guardians Of The Light is a full-on "musical fantasy" – with the story line laid out in the liner notes, yet still a bit difficult to follow – but we can't fault him for that when it's done in his masterful R&B-fusion-funk approach! George sings on all cuts, but he also gets some stellar vocal assistance from Jeffrey Osborne, Portia Griffin, and Patti Austin. The record also has some surprisingly sweet mellow moments that bring a deeper level of spacey soul to the out-there concept! Titles include "Born To Love You", "You Are The Light", "Reach Out", "Give Me Your Love", "Stand", "Soon", and "Fly Away". 3 bonus tracks on this FTG CD edition: "Reach Out (12" Version)", "Celebrate (Instrumental)" and "Brazilian Love Affair". ~ Dusty Groove
Melba Moore is on fire here – eschewing ballads altogether for the first time – and lighting up a scorching late disco vibe! Burn is a tight, club-ready soul set from '79 that finds Melba with more input on the songwriting than she had on previous records. It's also a nice step in a slightly different direction, working here with producer Pete Bellotte – one of the creative engines that drove disco deeply into the mainstream! What's great, though, is that Melba is right up there sharing the driver's seat – she's not just the voice – she co-wrote each track on the album. That said, it's her voice that burns the most brightly, on songs that include "Burn", "Hot And Tasty", "If You Believe In Love", "Night People", "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", "Can't Give It Up", "Miss Thing" and "Need Love". 3 bonus tracks on this FTG CD edition: "Miss Thing (7" Version)", "Hot And Tasty (7" Version)" and "Burn (7" Version)". ~ Dusty Groove
A nice one from Kool & The Gang – and kind of a transitional record for the group – falling directly between the hard funk and spacey jazz inspired earlier work and the chart-ready grooves that would follow soon after! They weren't about to abandon the heavy horn lines and some grittier grooves just yet – but they seem to know where the commercial winds are blowing – and they work a bit harder on the sweeter group vocals and some string-backed dancefloor soul sounds. Includes the slow-building title track, plus "Dancin' Shoes", "Big Chief's Funkum", "I Like Music" "It's All You Need", "Peace To The Universe" and "At The Party". ~ Dusty Groove
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