Kool & The Gang as One

EMERGENCY continues the trend begun on 1979's LADIES NIGHT and continued on albums like CELEBRATE! and IN THE HEART of pushing Kool & the Gang's sound deeper into the smooth grooves of Adult Contemporary R&B. Though the band had long since relinquished the hardcore funk on which it honed its chops, EMERGENCY proves Kool & the Gang still capable of moving bodies on the dance floor, as the thumping "Misled," the album's lead-off single, attests. The hard-driving vibe of the title track, and the almost Prince-like "Surrender," should be enough to assure old-school Gang fans that they've still got the funk.

Featuring "Summer Madness" long live version
Following on the heels of their 1975 smash Spirit of the Boogie, Kool & the Gang hit the road to tour the album and record new material.

With their long track record, Kool & the Gang have always offered dance-provoking rhythms and Something Special fits that bill, too. Featuring the number one single "Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)," James "J.T." Taylor approaches the song in a cool, mesmerizing tone, closing out the vamp in his falsetto with a burst of energy while the background vocals chant the subtitle throughout the chorus. Not known to lead a song in falsetto, Taylor further utilizes this talent on the motivated rhythms of the nocturnal scenario of "Steppin' Out." It maintained a steady stride, rising to the number ten spot on the charts. The third single from the album was "Get Down on It." As the title indicates, this is a gritty funk track that worked its way up the charts to claim the number three position, selling more than 500,000 copies. Although there were no more charted singles from this album, the entire collection is deserving of recognition. On a slower note, "Pass It On" and "No Show" received regional airplay.

Good Times was a bit spotty compared to Music Is the Message, compromising Kool & the Gang's legendary funk instincts for a variety of digressions that don't turn out the way they should. There's much more good than bad though, beginning with the title track, a school's-out jam just in time for summer. "Making Merry Music" is in a similar mold and just as good, while the group leaps into wild, unhinged, horn-driven funk for "Rated X" and "Country Junky." …