Unfairly denounced as the poor man’s Earth Wind & Fire, TOP came into their own with their self-titled release in 1973. With the staccato bass line on the first track, “What Is Hip?” the band set up an album filled with horns, funk and da soul. Slower tracks such as “Clever Girl” and “Just Another Day” are evocative of the Philly sound. Other standouts include the greasy funk of “Soul Vaccination,” “Get Yo Feet Back On The Ground” and the bluesy “Both Sorry Over Nothing.” Like lead singer Lenny Williams intones on the first track, “There’s one thing you should know, what’s hip today, might become passé.” Other Tower of Power albums? Maybe. This classic album? Never.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.
