1001 Albums Summary

For an 80s album, it's got a crisp quality to it. That's one of the biggest plus points of the album: not being underwhelmed by the toll of age and new sound. I was faintly amused by these lines: "You said you don't know how You're such a stupid cow" The rest of it does underwhelm. The teenage angst about girls and envy for peers were charming at first listen. But, it did not stick. The music felt repetitive. It definitely overstayed its welcome for me. As an experience, the album became mushed, all blending into this one claustrophobic guitar tone. It's opener, "More Songs about Chocolate and Girls" was a strong kickoff. But everything I got from that song, I got more out of it than any of the other tunes on the record. I got all that I needed to know from the opener and that was it.

So, this is the home to the classic "We Are Family" song featured in so many feel-good and ending sequences of family movies. It's got some great moments and pockets. Especially with Nile Rodgers' instantly recognisable guitar playing, it was adding a lot of flavour and groove to tracks. This is particularly true for the opener, "He's The Greatest Dancer". I can spin that tune for ages. With a 42-minute runtime and only 8 songs, this album felt a tad bit tedious to listen through when it reached the middle of the tracklist. That was its lull. I never felt the quintet's chemistry very strongly. The frontwoman took much of the spotlight and her vocals were at times, strongly resembled a young Michael Jackson's. I felt that most of the time it was those strong instrumental pockets of grooves that helped carry me through the lengthy songs. I wasn't very moved by the vocals, harmonies or the energy from these songs. It didn't help that "We Are Family" was 8-minutes long. 8 minutes! Overall, a pleasant and easy listen. It got me reflecting on how my appreciation towards Soul started as early as I was a kid watching movies with a song from Sister Sledge. And the cover just captures the warmth from the tracks, very pretty!

G-funk, innovative and pioneering.

Amazing amazing amazing!