Review of Heatwave's Debut Album Too Hot To Handle

Funk-disco band Heatwave burst onto the music scene in 1976 with their sensational debut album Too Hot To Handle. The collection was one of the year’s most impressive R&B and dance music releases. It showcased the band’s consummate musicianship and Rod Temperton’s superb songwriting abilities. The British-born keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer wrote every track on the album. He was responsible for the band’s singular sound that distinguished them from other funk and disco outfits at the time.

The album opens with the smokin’ title track. This massively funky groove features a killer bass line, nasty rhythm guitar licks and a dazzling horn/synth line. Keith Wilder delivers a soulful high-energy vocal performance, complemented by powerful falsetto-laced harmonies from his brother Johnnie Wilder Jr.  

Mario Mantese’s smooth bass line anchors the exquisite “Ain’t No Half Steppin’”. The track boasts an awesome vocal performance from Johnnie Wilder Jr., who also provides some great percussion work. The dynamic string arrangement further enhances the groove. It also has a terrific bridge. The song is about completely cuttin’ loose and giving it all you got on the dance floor.

“Boogie Nights” is Heatwave’s biggest hit and one of the iconic dance songs of the ‘70s. Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson even named his classic period drama Boogie Nights (1997) after it. The song is masterfully arranged and performed. It has Temperton’s indelible sonic stamp that can’t be mistaken for anyone else. The track opens with a mysterious, jazzy intro, then jumps into a sizzling dance groove. The song features a ferocious beat, funky bass and sleek guitar rhythms. Keith Wilder delivers a rousing vocal performance, and Temperton serves up a smashing synth solo. This hot track packed dance floors across the U.S. and abroad in ‘77.

“Always and Forever” is a big album highlight. It’s one of Heatwave’s best-known tracks and a slow jam classic. The track features an incredible vocal performance from Johnnie Wilder Jr. He infuses his vocals with tons of passion and soul. And the song's arrangement and production are impeccable. This was the go-to track back in the day for people who wanted to get their slow dance on. "Always and Forever” ranked #2 on Essence magazine's 25 Best Slow Jams of All Time list in 2009.

The nostalgic “Beat Your Booty” is an irresistible funk tune. The percolating groove has a groovin’ bass line, sweet rhythm guitar licks and infectious keyboards. The song’s narrator reminisces about his childhood and how his mother’s tough love shaped him into the man that he is today. And that tough love sometimes consisted of corporal punishment. This was long before “time-outs” and other non-physical forms of punishment were the norm, and the belt and switch were common tools for child discipline.

The Sylistics-inspired “Sho’nuff Must Be Love” showcases Johnnie Wilder Jr.’s immense vocal gifts. His beautiful falsetto elevates the track to the heavens. This majestic cut exemplifies Temperton’s expertise at penning sterling ballads and Johnnie’s formidable vocal talent. Another great mellow jam from the album is “Lay It On Me,” which features a fantastic vocal arrangement and more of Johnnie’s flawless falsetto. 

“Super Soul Sister” is a strong funk groove. The track has a dope bass line, tight horns and a nasty beat. And Temperton contributes some funky keyboards. The track also boasts a cool little jazz break. “Super Soul Sister” is about a bad chick who effortlessly exudes confidence, style and magnetic sex appeal—driving all the brothas crazy.

Johnnie delivers a luminous vocal performance on “All You Do Is Dial.” His feathery falsetto is soothing to the ears and soul. The song boasts a magnificent arrangement and a gorgeous chorus.

Too Hot To Handle was a critical and commercial success. Noted music publications gave it high marks, and it received tons of love from funk, R&B and disco fans. The album has sold over a million copies to date. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #5 on Billboard’s R&B album chart. And it charted in other parts of the world–the UK (#46), New Zealand (#36) and Canada (#14).

The singles “Boogies Nights” and “Always and Forever” had strong performances on the charts. “Boogie Nights” rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #5 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. It topped New Zealand's singles chart and saw significant chart action in Canada (#2), the UK (#2), Norway (#6), Sweden (#11), Belgium (#27) and the Netherlands (#17). It has sold two million copies in the U.S., 200,000 copies in the UK and 75,000 units in Canada. 

“Always and Forever” peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. It peaked at #10 in Canada, #17 in Ireland, and #9 in the UK. The song has sold a million copies in the U.S. The title track “Too Hot To Handle” peaked at #15 on the UK singles chart and #28 in New Zealand.

Too Hot To Handle was produced by Barry Blue and released on GTO Records on June 15, 1976, in the UK and Epic Records on May 30, 1977, in the U.S. 

The full personnel for Too Hot To Handle was Eric Johns (guitar), Ernest “Bilbo” Berger (drums, percussion), Johnnie Wilder Jr. (lead and backing vocal, percussion), Mario Mantese (bass), Melvin Rogers (trumpet), Rod Temperton (keyboards) and Keith Wilder (lead vocals).

Too Hot To Handle at Amazon

"Sunset Driver" by Michael Jackson

“Sunset Driver” was another hidden gem among Michael Jackson's huge backlog of unreleased songs. It was solely written by the pop/soul superstar in the late ‘70s. An initial demo of it was recorded in 1978 at the Jackson family home studio in Encino, California. It was originally considered for inclusion on the Off The Wall (1979) album but didn’t make the final cut. It was later rerecorded in the early ‘80s during the Thriller sessions as a potential track for that album. But it was ultimately left off that album as well. It was also considered for Michael’s 1987 Bad album but again was scrapped. “Sunset Driver” resurfaced as a bonus track on the 57-song box set The Ultimate Collection, released on November 16, 2004. It was later re-released on Thriller 40 (2022), Thriller's 40th anniversary reissue edition. It was also featured in the Ubisoft music video game “Michael Jackson: The Experience” (2010).

“Sunset Driver” is a powerful disco-funk track. It would have been a great fit for the largely dance-driven Off The Wall album. Clubgoers would have burned up many a dance floor to this hot jam back in the disco days. Louis Johnson’s captivating bass line propels the sizzling dance groove. The track features electrifying synth lines, dynamic strings, funky guitar licks and an indelible chorus. And Michael delivers a forceful high-energy vocal performance.

The protagonist of “Sunset Driver” lives a reckless, fast-paced lifestyle. This individual loves living on the edge and is in constant pursuit of thrills, danger and excitement, with little concern for the consequences. The song serves as a cautionary tale that warns of the dangers of living a reckless life of endless thrill-seeking.

It’s cool that “Sunset Driver” finally got some well-deserved love and attention with its inclusion on two MJ albums and a music video game. It’s such a banger that it’s nearly impossible not to move to it when it comes on.

The "Sunset Driver" segment from the music video game "Michael Jackson: The Experience"

"Sunset Driver" available at Amazon

Related blog entry: Review of Michael Jackson's Off The Wall Album

"Crab Apple"by Idris Muhammad

Legendary jazz drummer Idris Muhammad serves up some delicious funk on his smooth instrumental “Crab Apple.” The song boasts a killer arrangement, with sterling horn charts and phat bass. Muhammad anchors the groove with a cold beat, while tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker heightens the funk with a fantastic solo. Guitarist Hiram Bullock's wicked licks electrify the groove, and Cliff Carter contributes a scorching synth solo. With this cut, Muhammad showed that his funk game was super strong.

“Crab Apple” is a track from Muhammad’s fifth studio album Turn This Mutha Out, released in 1977. It was written, arranged and produced by David Matthews, who also produced the entire album. The collection was released on Kudu, a subsidiary of CTI Records. 

Per WhoSampled.com, “Crab Apple” has been sampled on 23 songs, including “Crooked Ass Nigga” (2Pac, featuring Stretch), “Big Booty Hoes” (The Notorious B.I.G., featuring Too Short) and “Black Jesus” (Schoolly D).

The full personnel on “Crab Apple” was Wilbur Bascomb (bass), Idris Muhammad (drums), David Tofani (soprano saxophone), Hiram Bullock (guitar), Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone), Sue Evans (percussion), Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone), Cliff Carter (synthesizer) and Charlie Brown (guitar).

"Crab Apple" available at Amazon

Related blog entry: Turn This Mutha Out by Idris Muhammad

"The Wanderer" by Donna Summer

In 1980, disco’s popularity was plummeting rapidly, and it was also the target of a vicious hate campaign–much of which was fueled by anti-black racism, homophobia and sexism. As a result, Donna Summer–one of disco’s biggest superstars–began reshaping her sound to align more with the current popular music trends of the early ‘80s. She started incorporating new wave and more rock into her sound and jettisoned the heavy disco rhythms she was known for. Strings and horns were replaced with synths, and rock guitars became much more prominent.

“The Wanderer” typified Summer’s new sonic direction. It’s a cool mix of rockabilly and new wave. And Summer also switched up her vocal style for this cut. Her full-throated, powerhouse vocal style that electrified her disco smashes is absent. Instead, she delivers her verses in a restrained Chrissie Hynde-meets-Elvis lower register. The track features percolating synths, groovin' bass and dynamic rock guitar riffs. It also boasts an infectious chorus where Summer channels a bit of Debbie Harry. The song’s narrator is a restless soul who can’t stay in one place too long. She expresses her aversion to a regular nine-to-five existence and wants to be free to roam and experience life’s many adventures and pleasures.

“The Wanderer” was the lead single and title track from Summer’s eighth studio album, released on October 20, 1980 on Geffen Records. She co-wrote the song with Giorgio Moroder. It was arranged by musician/composer/producer Harold Faltermeyer, who also played keyboards and synths on the track. The song was produced by Moroder and Pete Bellotte, both longtime collaborators of Summer.

“The Wanderer” had an impressive showing on the U.S. charts. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and rose to #16 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. And it performed well in other parts of the world. It charted in the top five in six countries–Canada (#2), Spain (#4), Italy (#3), New Zealand (#5), South Africa (#5) and Finland (#4). The song was certified gold by the RIAA with 500,000 units sold. Unfortunately, it’s sorely underappreciated these days. Except for Summer's most ardent fans, the song seems to be all but forgotten, which is a shame.

The Wanderer was Summer’s first music release after she left Casablanca Records in 1980 and signed with David Geffen’s label Geffen Records that same year. She was the first artist to be signed to the new label. The album peaked at #13 on the Billboard album chart. It went on to sell 600,000 copies in the U.S. The full musician lineup for the album was Harold Faltermeyer (keyboards, synthesizer), Keith Forsey (drums, percussion), Jeff Baxter (guitar), John Pierce (bass), Sylvester Levay (keyboards, synthesizer), Steve Lukather (guitar), Lee Sklar (bass), Tim May (guitar), Les Hurdle (bass) and Gary Herbig (saxophone solo). Backing vocals were provided by Bill Champlin, Carmen Grillo and Tom Kelley. 

Summer returned to her dance and R&B roots on her self-titled tenth studio album, produced by Quincy Jones and released in 1982 on Geffen Records.

Official music video for "The Wanderer"

Donna Summer performing "The Wanderer" on The Tom Snyder Show in 1980

"The Wanderer" available at Amazon

Related blog entry: Donna Summer and Chuck Brown Left Behind a Legacy of Great Music

"Stone To The Bone" by James Brown

James Brown dropped this badass track in November of 1973. This was during the early years of his storied “Godfather of Soul” era. The groove flows at a smooth funky stroll. You can easily picture James cold struttin’ to this wicked groove. John “Jabo” Starks keeps the funk level high with a sick beat, and Fred Thomas complements it with a strong bass line. Guitarists Jimmy Nolen and Hearlon "Cheese" Martin serve up some sweet licks, while James further deepens the funk with a soulful organ solo. The Godfather also delivers a dope vocal performance. Additionally, the track features a superb horn arrangement.

James sings the praises of his lady on this track. She’s a dime no doubt, but he points out that there’s much more to her than just good looks and sex appeal. She’s also a solid, faithful partner–a true ride-or-die who holds him down throughout the good and bad times. 

“Stone To The Bone” was written and produced by James. The two-part song was the lead single from his 37th studio album The Payback, released in December of 1973 on Polydor Records. The track peaked at #4 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The full personnel on "Stone To The Bone" was John "Jabo" Starks (drums), Jimmy Nolen (lead guitar), Fred Thomas (bass), Hearlon "Cheese" Martin (rhythm guitar), James Brown (vocals, organ), John Morgan (percussion) and the horn section: Maceo Parker (alto saxophone), Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison (trumpet), Fred Wesley (trombone), St. Clair Pinckney (tenor saxophone), Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford (trumpet) and Isiah "Ike" Oakley (trumpet).

According to WhoSampled.com, “Stone To The Bone” has been sampled on 37 songs, including “Alwayz into Somethin’” (N.W.A), “It’s Funky Enough” (The D.O.C.) and “Steppin’ to the A.M. (3rd Bass).

James Brown performing "Stone To The Bone" live in 1974

The full unedited clip of the "Stone To The Bone" live performance, but the quality is not as good.

 

 "Stone To The Bone" at Amazon

Related blog entry: "The Boss" by James Brown

"Groove (Ain’t No Doubt About It)" by Bobby Lyle

Acclaimed pianist and organist Bobby Lyle cooked up some wicked jazz-funk on his 1978 song “Groove (Ain’t No Doubt About it).” The funk level on this cut is through the roof. Bass titan Nathaniel Philips lays down some extra-nasty bottom, and Lyle elevates the groove with his incredible synth work. Drummer Harvey Mason fires up the funk with a scorching beat, while Paulinho da Costa contributes some percolating percussion.

“Groove (Ain’t No Doubt About It)” is a track from Lyle’s third album New Warrior, released on Capitol Records in 1978. It was written by Lyle, Mason and trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, who also produced the album. The players on the track were Bobby Lyle (keyboards, vocals), Harvey Mason (drums), David T. Walker (guitar), Nathaniel Phillips (bass) and Paulinho da Costa (percussion). 

Lyle was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 11, 1944. His family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota when he was a year old. He grew up in a musical household, and at the age of six, he began taking piano lessons from his mother, who was a church organist. In middle school, he was playing clarinet and flute for the school band but eventually returned to piano. Lyle’s early musical influences were jazz pianists Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal. He began playing jazz by ear while a student at Central High School in Minneapolis. He landed his first gig at 16. After graduating from Central High, Lyle attended Macalester College in St. Paul where he studied piano under pianist and composer Professor Donald Betts. 

After two years at Macalester, Lyle became a full-time musician in 1964. He played locally in Minneapolis for six years and then toured for two years with soul-jazz ensemble Young-Holt Unlimited. In 1970, Lyle met and had a subsequent jam session with Jimi Hendrix, who wanted to form a jazz-rock band with Lyle, bassist Willie Weeks and drummer Bill Lordan. Unfortunately, that band never happened due to Hendrix’s untimely death later that year. Lyle moved to Los Angeles in 1974 where he got a job touring with Sly & the Family Stone. He also gigged with the Ronnie Laws Band during this period. This led to a meeting with Wayne Henderson, who was a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders. Henderson took Lyle’s demo to Larkin Arnold, Vice President of A&R at Capitol Records. This landed Lyle a record deal with the label, which resulted in three albums: The Genie, New Warrior and Night Fire. Capitol eventually scrapped its jazz division, leaving Lye without a record deal.

As a result, he went back to doing session work for other artists. He played on recordings by notable artists such as George Benson, Phylliss Hyman and Esther Philips. He toured with Benson in the early ‘80s and was a guest artist on jazz-fusion band Yellowjackets’ 1981 debut album. Throughout the ‘80s, he served as musical director for the tours of Anita Baker, Al Jarreau and Bette Midler. 

During a 1987 performance with saxophonist Gerald Albright, Lyle’s talents caught the attention of Sylvia Rhone, who was VP of Jazz and Urban music at Atlantic Records at the time. This led to him signing a record deal with the label in 1988. This deal resulted in six albums in nine years. His 1990 album, The Journey, topped the Billboard Jazz Chart. He also continued to tour during this period, with his own bands as well as with Bette Midler. He received an Emmy nomination for his musical direction on Midler’s HBO special Diva Las Vegas (1997).

Lyle is the only artist to have an album, Straight and Smooth (2004), that simultaneously appeared on both Billboard’ smooth jazz chart and Billboard’s traditional jazz chart.

In 2013, the musician launched his own label, New Warrior Music, in conjunction with his Genie Productions company. On the label he produced and released a tribute album to his Hammond B-3 idol Jimmy Smith, who revolutionized the role of organ in jazz music by fusing elements of blues, bebop and gospel. The title of the album is The Way I Feel (2013).

In 2014, Lyle and smooth jazz radio personality Guy Michaels launched Houston’s first-ever TV jazz show. It’s called The J-Spot, and it’s taped before a live audience. It serves as a showcase for a host of great musical talent in the Houston area. Lyle is a permanent host for the show and an occasional performer.  

Lyle has recently been focusing on providing music education to young people. He has been working as a jazz piano and practitioner of master classes in high schools and colleges. Walker Elementary School in Houston has established a “Bobby Lyle Music Scholarship Fund.” Lyle encourages students to write essays explaining why they want to study music. The scholarship recipients are selected based on the best essays, meaning those that show a genuine passion for music as well as a financial need. Those selected will receive enough money to pay for an instrument as well as receive private musical instruction. 

In 2020, Lyle was inducted into the Black Music Awards Hall of Fame in Houston, Texas. The musician is a pivotal figure in Houston’s music scene as both a performer and educator. He released his most recent album, Ivory Flow, in 2021 on his label New Warrior Music. He also tours frequently. 

"LA Type" by Kimbra

New Zealand-born singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Kimbra gets down and dirty on her funky track “LA Type.” The two-time Grammy-winning artist has dipped her toes into funk before but nothing quite as audaciously funky as this cut. She even brought in ace groovemaster and drummer extraordinaire Questlove to maximize the funk level. He contributes a monstrous beat that’s complemented by Spencer Zahn’s nasty bass line. The funk is further deepened by some electrifying keyboard work from Taylor Graves. And Kimbra delivers a dynamic vocal performance that’s full of attitude and sultry soul. She even raps on a few verses. Also, the song features some tight bars from guest rappers Pink Siifu and Tommy Raps. Additional background vocals are provided by Jacob Collier.

“LA Type” is a track from Kimbra’s fourth album, A Reckoning, which was released on January 27, 2023. In an interview with Paper Magazine last year, she said that the song is about her dating experiences in LA and “just some of the bullshit that comes with a city that’s built on entertainment.” She added that it addresses a culture in Los Angeles “that is very distorted and superficial.” Kimbra said that the song was inspired by Prince, whom she has frequently cited as a major influence and inspiration.

Kimbra is most recognized for her feature on Gotye’s Grammy-winning global smash “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which hit the airwaves in July of 2011. She has released some really interesting and cool music over the years. Her sound is an eclectic fusion of pop, jazz, R&B, indie rock, electro-pop and dance. She is an adventurous artist who’s known for her daring and inventiveness in the studio and in her music videos. And she’s a captivating live performer–thrilling audiences with her magnetic stage presence and raw charisma. Kimbra kicks off her 2024 tour in April. She has some tour dates and venue info posted at her website.

Kimbra performing "LA Type" at an Amsterdam concert last year

"LA Type" available at Amazon