The Pointer Sisters

The Pointer Sisters are an American R&B singing group from Oakland, California that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Spanning over four decades, their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, disco, jazz, electronic music, bebop, blues, soul, funk, dance, country and rock. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994. The group had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985.

Given the diversity of songs recorded and released by the Pointer Sisters over the years, finding a well-rounded greatest-hits package isn't all that easy. The group's Millennium Collection isn't definitive by any stretch of the imagination, missing such obvious hits as "I'm So Excited," yet it does offer a good variety of Pointer Sisters highlights. It covers the early, eclectic years: the Sisters' first hit, "Yes We Can Can"; the bluesy "Wang Dang Doodle"; their Grammy-winning country hit, "Fairytale"; the epic funkfests "How Long (Betcha' Got a Chick on the Side)" and "Going Down Slowly"; and the Car Wash soundtrack inclusion "You Gotta Believe."

Keeping their forward momentum at warp speed, the Pointer Sisters brought the effusive Steppin' to bear in summer 1975. Having already danced into the spotlight across their first three albums, it was no surprise when the David Rubinson-produced LP, which boasted one of the era's best cut-out sleeves (slingback high-heeled tap sneakers!), cruised to number three R&B. Keeping their feet planted firmly in the older soul tradition which had served them so well, the Pointer Sisters continued to look ahead, carving their own niche in a genre soon to be glutted with contenders. This set is a thriller, from the opening funk groove of the number one hit "How Long (Betcha' Got a Chick on the Side)," which remains a delicious collision of mid-period soul, funk.