Rhythm & Business
Studio album by
Tower of Power
Released1997
LabelEpic[1]
ProducerEmilio Castillo
Tower of Power chronology
Souled Out
(1995)		 Rhythm & Business
(1997)		 Direct Plus
(1997)

Rhythm and Business is an album by the American band Tower of Power.[2] It was released in 1997.[3][4] The band promoted the album by playing the Red Sea Jazz Festival, among other concert dates.[5]

Production

The album was produced by bandmember Emilio Castillo.[6] The band had decided not to chase any kind of market trend, and instead record what it wanted.[2] Castillo, Stephen Kupka, and Frances Rocco Prestia were the only founding members who played on Rhythm & Business.[7] The title track is about the state of 1990s R&B and the music industry.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
Los Angeles Daily News[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[12]

The Boston Globe wrote that "the implausibly soulful baritone sax of Stephen 'Doc' Kupka, Castillo's partner since 1969, is highlighted on 'Spank-A-Dang' and 'East Bay Way'."[13] The Los Angeles Daily News noted that "Tower of Power has never lost the ability to turn up the heat on slippery funk grooves and soulful ballads."[11]

The Blade deemed the album "plain old funk and soul," writing that "at times, it's like listening in on a jam session as the horns blare and the drums pound."[14] The Sunday News called it "a funky soul assembly of churning Hammond organ, snappy chicken-scratch rhythm guitar, ear-bending wah-wah guitar, high-powered thumb-popping funk bass, soaring gospel-tinged soul singing and those nasty, legendary, extraordinary Tower of Power horns."[15]

AllMusic wrote that "these guys know all there is to know about R&B and on Rhythm & Business they combine their musical passion, knowledge and abilities into that one-of-a-kind Tower of Power sound."[9] Christina Cole, of the Anchorage Daily News, listed the album among the best of 1997.[16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."So I Got to Groove (Stephen Kupka, Emilio Castillo, Herman Matthews)"5:44
2."Crazy for You (Marlon McClain, Kupka, Castillo)"4:37
3."East Bay Way (Kupka, Castillo, Jeff Tamelier)"4:48
4."Unconditional Love (McClain, Kupka, Castillo, Nate Phillips, Wayne Jackson)"6:58
5."You Do the Math (Kupka, Tamelier, Jim Pugh)"4:47
6."The More You Know (Kupka, Castillo)"5:49
7."Recapture the Magic (Kupka, Castillo)"5:33
8."What's Your Trip (McClain, Kupka, Castillo)"5:40
9."Rhythm and Business (Kupka, Castillo, Matthews, Michael Caplan)"4:08
10."Don't Knock Me Down (Kupka, Castillo, Ken Kessie)"3:40
11."That Was Then and This Is Now (Kupka, Castillo, Nick Milo)"4:35
12."It Really Doesn't Matter (Castillo, Tony Flores)"4:35
13."Spank-A-Dang (Matthews, Milo)"5:44

References

  1. ↑ "Tower of Power Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. 1 2 Charleston, Rita (17 Mar 1998). "'Tower of Power' 'just keeps on doing it' over 3 decades". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 4B.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Dave (May 11, 2001). "Funk". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Findlay, Prentiss (11 Sep 1997). "Blues hero B.B. King festival headliner". The Post and Courier. p. E2.
  5. ↑ Rodan, Steve (22 Aug 1997). "All that jazz". Arts. The Jerusalem Post. p. 2.
  6. ↑ "New line-up, same groove: Tower of Power returns". Happenings. Intelligencer Journal. 29 May 1998. p. 2.
  7. ↑ Harden, Mark (September 25, 1998). "Horns of plenty: Tower of Power's sound the choice of numerous rockers". The Denver Post. p. E21.
  8. ↑ McDonald, Sam (27 June 1997). "HAMPTON JAZZ FESTIVAL 30TH ANNIVERSARY". Daily Press. Newport News. p. A6.
  9. 1 2 "Rhythm & Business - Tower of Power | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  10. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 228.
  11. 1 2 Shuster, Fred (26 Sep 1997). "SOUND CHECK". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L24.
  12. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1159.
  13. ↑ Keller, Jon (30 Oct 1997). "RECORDINGS". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 27.
  14. ↑ Allen, Jr., Eddie B. (October 26, 1997). "'RHYTHM AND BUSINESS'". The Blade. p. G4.
  15. ↑ "Horns of Power and plenty". Sunday News. May 24, 1998. p. H6.
  16. ↑ Cole, Christina (January 2, 1998). "'97 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR MUSICAL AVALANCHE". Anchorage Daily News. p. H7.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.