Despite only releasing three albums in the early '80s, the group thought of primarily as Prince's opening act by many at the time proved to be an influential group in retrospect. And if there is one album that illustrates why the Time deserve such praise, it's What Time Is It? First of all, the... [+] Expand

Despite only releasing three albums in the early '80s, the group thought of primarily as Prince's opening act by many at the time proved to be an influential group in retrospect. And if there is one album that illustrates why the Time deserve such praise, it's What Time Is It? First of all, the group only released a trilogy of early-'80s albums, with the other two -- The Time (1981) and Ice Cream Castle (1984) -- each somewhat flawed. Thankfully, What Time Is It? proves itself to be a perfect medium. The group's patented aesthetic that first became clear on "Give It Up" from their formative debut album blossoms here, and the ridge between Morris Day's wannabe-Prince megalomania and the musicians' enormous talents hasn't quite become an issue yet. Secondly, the group doesn't try anything too ambitious here; in fact, they almost seem to rewrite their debut album, fixing its flaws and expanding upon its strengths. Again, they offer six songs, this time going with more epic jam-orientated songs. Furthermore, Morris Day even manages to offer a respectable ballad with "Gigolos Get Lonely Too." But, for the most part, the Time are at their best when they're jamming -- which they do plenty of here -- and not when Day is singing or indulging in one of his many ideologically questionable skits. But what makes this album the Time's best isn't so much its highlights but rather its lack of poor moments. Both The Time and Ice Cream Castle have moments of brilliance that rival even this album's best; however, those two albums are burdened by lackluster moments -- this album has none. From beginning to end, What Time Is It? is nothing but fun music, driven largely by brilliant funk riffing and also by some catchy hooks. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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