Kool & The Gang Spirit Of The Boogie (Vinyl)

"Spirit of the Boogie" is among several of Kool and the Gang's underrated efforts. Every cut is worth listening to, including the happy harmonizing of "Mother Earth" (who keeps on spinning for us, "making no sound") and Ancestral Ceremony ("We are scientists of sound)" which is built on a mesmerizing, rhythmic foundation that is reminiscent of the west African motherland. Oh, and don't forget "Winter Sadness," a synthesizer-based counterpoint to Kool and the Gang's earlier instrumental, "Summer Madness," which also featured a synthesizer, but as a memorable series of crescendos. To hear this album some 35 years after its initial release is a reminder that Kool and the Gang, in its "pre-"Ladies Night" incarnation, truly made better music for all their friends. "Spirit of the Boogie" has made me a very close friend.