Secret Omen
Artist: Cameo
Community Score: 4.50

Cameo never recorded a bad album, but it did record some uneven ones. One such LP was 1978's Ugly Ego, which was generally decent but fell short of the excellence of Cameo's superb debut album, Cardiac Arrest. But if Ugly Ego led some people to believe that Cameo might be slipping, the band's fourth album, Secret Omen, put that idea to rest.... Read More

TP
Artist: Teddy Pendergrass
Community Score: 9.25

Teddy Pendergrass was near, if not at, the pinnacle of a prosperous music career upon this album's release, which spawned two Top Ten singles. "Can't We Try," with its tender introduction, slowly builds into a dramatic vamp in which Pendergrass' domineering baritone clinches each lyric with absolute conviction -- an awesome display of vocal... Read More

Zapp
Artist: Zapp
Community Score: 4.50

Released in 1980 just as George Clinton's P-funk empire had reached the brink of its existence, Bootsy protégé Roger Troutman proved himself a worthy successor with Zapp's self-titled debut album and its subsequent two follow-ups. In actuality, Zapp originally was a branch of the Parliament/Funkadelic collective, as group leader Roger Troutman... Read More

What Time Is It?
Artist: The Time
Community Score: 9.00

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,... Read More

Midnight Love - BONUS TRACK
Artist: Marvin Gaye

Larkin Arnold, former CBS Records (Sony Music) senior executive VP, convinced Marvin Gaye to leave his flat in Belgium and sign with Columbia Records; the result would become the soul singer's last album before his untimely death. Of all his number one songs, this album's first release, "Sexual Healing," became his longest running number one... Read More

The Gap Band III
Artist: The Gap Band
Community Score: 7.50

When Gap Band III came out in 1980, the Wilson Brothers were widely regarded as true heavyweights in the funk field. Many funk experts will tell you that creatively, they were right up there with the likes of Cameo, Rick James, the Isley Brothers, and the Bar-Kays in the early '80s. Over the years, The Gap Band III (which was the group's fifth... Read More

Gap Band IV
Artist: The Gap Band

Gap Band IV featured a complete lineup of up-tempo, mid-tempo, and alluring ballads. The feature releases, in order, were "Early in the Morning," "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," and "Outstanding." The first two are energized numbers seasoned around horrific basslines and Charlie Wilson's dazzling vocals. Respectively, they peaked at number one and... Read More

Powerlight
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire
Community Score: 9.20

Many groups lose the steam that propelled them to the top; Earth, Wind & Fire, contemporary sound and all, were still blazing when this album was released. "Fall in Love With Me" was the first single. With its festive rhythm and sauntering vocals, it became a number four hit on the Billboard R&B charts and a number 17 pop hit. The percolating... Read More

Knights of the Sound Table
Artist: Cameo
Community Score: 6.00

Things were still rolling for Cameo with this '81 date. It was their first album to also be issued in England, and it scored more hits for them, with "Freaky Dancin'" reaching the number three spot on the R&B charts. Changes were coming soon, but they still retained the familiar horn-dominated sound. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide Read More

Cameosis
Artist: Cameo
Community Score: 6.00

The big single on Cameosis, the stimulating "Shake Your Pants," provokes body moves from the animated group vocals to the rump-shakin' groove. The vivacious number "We're Going out Tonight" is a man's salute to his lady. Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins sing in unison throughout the body of the song, with first tenor Wayne Cooper soaring in the... Read More

The Electric Spanking of War Babies
Artist: Funkadelic
Community Score: 5.00

With George Clinton, a humorous phrase could be nothing more than playful tomfoolery, or it could be a double entendre with a deep political meaning. The phrase "electric spanking of war babies" falls into the latter category -- it referred to what the funk innovator saw as the U.S. government using the media to promote imperialistic wars. To... Read More