Following nothing short of a reinvention in the mid 1970s, Ben E. King went on to record a whole series of quality albums and this 1981 release was certainly one of the best. Ben was responsible for the production of this album along with Ray Chew and Barrie palmer and if you're after STRONG funky dancers which will get the floor heaving today then this is the album for you! For many years this was only available on vinyl and I craved the CD BUT you can now download this and all his other 70s / 80s Atlantic gems really inexpensively from iTunes! Now that's better than some crackly old slab of black plastic! Ben starts this set of with a song penned by the late, great Willie Hutch. “Street Tough” with it's funky bassline and synth acts as a nice jogger to start proceedings off on the right foot. I rate this track highly but it doesn't compare to the next track which is a real doozy!
“Made For Each Other” is a KILLER dancefloor number and one I wish was given a breath of frsh life now. I can see that this would get a fantastic reception. The funky guitar licks, the hard, driving beat and summery vibe really takes no prisoners, and when the strings dart in, Ben slaps us with his sweet vocal, and within it you can do nothing but be drawn in further and deeper. Play this one LOUD! I next hop to “Why Is The Question”, a more lively and percussion influenced beat with a strong vocal narrative and female backing vocals that sound great too. Another song which should get the floor moving is the rumbly “You Made The Difference To My Life”. Check out that bassline, it rumbles along as if Tyrone Davis should be growling atop of it! Get your dancing shoes on. To close this set I choose the much more gentle “Something To Be Loved” which is VERY Tyrone Davis in flavour. You're going to love this album and it's not an expensive rarity for those into vinyl, and even cheaper if you, like me, have embraced the digital world.
The Vibe Scribe
