It has taken me til about a year ago to forgive Kool for "Cherish" and "Celebration". But the smell of 80s scrilla and scrimps will do it to the best of em. Enter the Gang's first album, a soul/jazz/funk defining masterpiece. This record is a long player at the Lab and even gets the occasional rewind. The first track "Kool and the Gang" serves as just a teaser for this diverse album. "Breeze and Soul" is like elevator music for beat heads. Gentle melodies with heavy drums and open breaks. "Chocolate Buttermilk" has got the same feel but a bit more uptempo. Kinda like Brunswick-era Young Holt but with harder drums. 2 tracks perfect for loungin on the porch in the summertime (if we had one). "Sea of Tranquility" like the title is a snoozer, but hey, imperfections make the world go round.Side 2 starts with the dancefloor burner "Give It Up(1)". This one gets my chitlins heated with that infectious bass and open drum breaks (sampled for Beasties' "Booty", Gangstarr's "Take a Rest" and much more). "Kool's Back(2)" and the part 2 "The Gang's Back Again" is a funk classic with that down and dirty conga sound that sets it apart from Funk Inc. cover. Raw Hamburger slows down the funk, but the hook is nice. "Let the Music Take Your Mind", another much covered funk classic, is a live sounding guitar-driven jam highlighted by Kool's instruction of "let me get some greasy skins back there" followed by a drum breakdown and some nasty bass work. Although this album has the obvious breaks and funk classics, this album just gets better with every listen. Genuine feel good shit. Ask anybody who knows or tell someone who doesn't.

reviewed by the mgmnt