Tower of Power

The funk burner bubbles constantly in the background, but it doesn't compensate for the
lack of good material. Even the token ballad, "Time Will Tell," is inferior to "So Very Hard to
Go" and "You're Still a Young Man" from the group's previous two albums. The repeated
invocation, "Giddyup, giddyup, heigh ho," on "Don't Change Horses" is irritating, not
exciting. For lack of a melody on the following track, Lenny Williams's fine voice... More >

No matter whose top forty Lenny Williams makes, this isn't a soul, funk, or r&b band--the arrangements are simply too complex. It's more a stripped-down (no trombones except for guest shots) big band in the era of Doc Severinsen. Compare to any Basie edition and you will hear written charts that sound spontaneous, not to mention estimable soloists and Basie himself. And compare to a more mortal aggregation and you'll still hear riffs somebody could write song around--but not these guys. (Grade: C+)