Drama V
Artist: The Dramatics
Community Score: 10.00

Settled into their own groove, the Dramatics were burning on all cylinders. Their group harmonies were as solid as ever, and they demonstrated their vocal versatility by rotating lead on most of the tracks, including the bass of Willie Ford. This album featured two singles, the first being the sanguine Top Ten R&B hit "You're Fooling You." The... Read More

The Bitch Is Black
Artist: Yvonne Fair
Community Score: 10.00

Like many singings at Motown, Yvonne Fair was a major talent but a minor star. Fortunately she had a symphathetic producer in Norman Whitfield, who was astute enough to showcase her firepower. From funky dance tracks like "Walk Out the Door if You Wanna" to stunning ballads like "It Should Have Been Me," this out-of-print album is well-worth... Read More

Contradiction
Artist: The Ohio Players
Community Score: 7.50

Upon the release of this album, the Ohio Players were at the pinnacle of their long music careers, which date back to the late '50s. This album produced the number one Billboard R&B single "Who'd She Coo." The rhythm arrangement and jazzy horn arrangement are complemented by a titillating guitar, colorful vocals, and a suggestive lyric. While... Read More

Forever Gold
Artist: The Isley Brothers
An Evening with Diana Ross
Artist: Diana Ross

Recorded live at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, An Evening With Diana Ross is, in some ways, a definitive Diana Ross album. It may have been recorded in California, but it feels like a Vegas revue, as Diana sings standards, showtunes, forgotten favorites and hits, even telling the Story of Motown and the Supremes in song. It's not... Read More

Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Artist: Parliament
Community Score: 8.17

Parliament simply poured it on for this amazing album, clearly one of its all-time best. At least one band named itself after a lyric -- Urge Overkill, taken from the song "Funkentelechy" itself -- while the amount of times this album has been sampled for the music is uncountable. Besides having an absolutely wonderful name, it contained at... Read More

This Is Niecy
Artist: Deniece Williams

Deniece Williams spent the first half of the '70s establishing herself as a background vocalist for an impressive line of artists, including Stevie Wonder, Minnie Riperton, Roberta Flack, and Esther Phillips. Though she'd continue to do session work throughout her career, she also became accomplished as a solo artist. Unfortunately, a lot of... Read More

Go for Your Guns
Artist: The Isley Brothers
Harvest for the World
Artist: The Isley Brothers
Community Score: 2.00
One Nation Under a Groove
Artist: Funkadelic
Community Score: 8.70

One Nation Under a Groove was not only Funkadelic's greatest moment, it was their most popular album, bringing them an unprecedented commercial breakthrough by going platinum and spawning a number one R&B smash in the title track. It was a landmark LP for the so-called "black rock" movement, best-typified in the statement of purpose "Who Says a... Read More

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire
Community Score: 9.60

When it was originally released in 1978, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 was a succinct, ten-track collection of the group's best and biggest singles up to that point. There was one brand-new song, the excellent "September," which soon became a hit in its own right, plus the non-LP Beatles cover "Got to Get You Into My Life," which was... Read More

Spirit
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire
Community Score: 9.65

With That's the Way of the World having enjoyed multi-platinum success, Earth, Wind & Fire had a lot to live up to when the time came for another studio project. And the soul powerhouse didn't let anyone down (either commercially or creatively) on the outstanding Spirit, which boasted hits ranging from the optimistic "On Your Face" and the... Read More

That's the Way of the World
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire
Community Score: 8.67

Earth, Wind & Fire has delivered more than its share of excellent albums, but if a person could own only one EWF release, the logical choice would be That's the Way of the World, which was the band's best album as well as its best-selling. Open Our Eyes had been a major hit and sold over half a million units, but it was World that established... Read More

Gratitude
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire
Community Score: 8.20

With That's the Way of the World having made Earth, Wind & Fire one of the best-selling soul bands of the 1970s, Maurice White and co. had no problem filling large arenas. As dynamic as EWF was on-stage, it's a shame that there isn't more documentation of the band's live show. Only one live EWF album was released by a major label in America, the... Read More

Funk on Fire: The Mercury Anthology
Artist: The Ohio Players
Community Score: 9.50

One hour, 54 minutes and 12 seconds of innovative funk on two discs is nothing to sneeze at, particularly when the tracks are prime Ohio Players cuts. Mercury adroitly chronicles their chart-blazing career with full-length, unedited versions of winners and album treats. From the bluesy, strutting "Jive Turkey" to "More Than Love," the group... Read More