Kool & The Gang
Something Special
[Mercury Reissues]
Rating: 6.1
In my career as a high- profile, globe- trotting music journalist, I've seen
a lot of live shows. Some were the bomb, and some just plain bombed. Yet
through it all, two shows I've attended stand out in my mind as transcendent:
that of James Brown in 1993, and Kool & The Gang in 1996.
Actually, I've witnessed Kool & The Gang's raw energy on more than one occasion,
and they never fail to leave me breathless. Jumping eagerly from hit
("Jungle Boogie") to hit ("Hollywood Swingin'") to hit ("Misled") to hit
("Too Hot") to hit ("Cherish") to hit ("Joanna") to hit ("Celebrate"-- in
Spanish no less), their stage show is superglued tight as they whirl and
spin across the stage in perfect funkadelic harmony.
Robert "Kool" Bell and his collected "Gang" have certainly cemented their
place in history as a singles band, and with good reason: their albums have
never been particularly memorable. This holds true on their 1981 release
Something Special. The album, for those of you not as well acquainted
with the band's discography, was released just one year after their anthem "Celebrate"
became an international R+B smash. But as Kool and the Gang attempted to establish
their diversity on the record, they ignored the fact that it was funk that put
them on the map.
Abandoning their roots for a more accessible sound, Kool & The Gang brings
us songs like "Good Time Tonight," which was written as a follow- up to
that world- famous chart- topper "Celebrate," but it lacks the spark (not
to mention the fame) of that particular number. "Stand Up and Sing" was the
band's live encore regular, but the studio version doesn't do it justice.
"Stop," a song that was left off the album because it lacked lyrics, is
included as a bonus track. And, showcasing the Gang's ability to groove while
hanging on to their pop sensibility, it proves itself as one of the better
numbers Something Special has to offer.
But the record's treasure is "Get Down On It." Stuffed full of call and
response between Taylor and the Gang, it's James' finest hour. With his
bright tenor purring over a white- hot trough of tongue and groove, he sounds
as smooth as the other James Taylor while executing with dignity.
Something Special marked Kool and the Gang's departure from funk band
to pop band, which in retrospect served the band well. And, thanks to the
folks over at Mercury Reissues, you can get it on a CD now.
-Lang Whitaker