MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)
The Mizell-produced releases I usually enjoy are mostly jazzy instrumentals, but this album is soulful R&B leaning towards disco. Instrumentals are replaced by vocals, but when the vocals come from Jeffrey Osborne and his brother Billy, I can't complain. However, I can (and will) complain about the brevity of the album - 7 tracks, 33½ minutes. And the forgettable final track shouldn't even count in those numbers. Nevertheless, the stuff I like I really like, and that's a majority of the tracks. The Mizell touch is less pronounced on this album, but it's still there.
Press of the time:
- CashBox: "a fine representation of this jazz-funk group"
- Billboard: "Good example of ability to combine contemporary funk and general musical sophistication"
- US Billboard 200: #52
- Billboard R&B: #7
- CashBox: #81
Tracks:
- Love To The World (#91 pop, #27 R&B) - not much to the verse, but the simple chorus with soaring strings is glorious. And I certainly can't argue with the sentiment.
- Time For Pleasure - featuring some tasty horn licks, this is the funkiest track on the album. Just the opposite of the previous tune, the syncopated verse is much better than the smoother chorus.
- Love Ballad (#20 pop, #1 R&B) - The band's second biggest single and the best track on the album. The tune has often been covered (by Gary Bartz on another Mizell Brothers album, for example), but nobody completely owns it like Jeffrey Osborne.
- Get Your It Together - I guess "it" is cleaner (safer?) than "shit" but they ain't foolin' nobody. This one reminds me of Crackin' in a good way.
- Let The Music Keep Playing - another ballad, this one less successful. Obvious filler, they didn't even bother coming up with a complete set of lyrics.
- The Word - straight-up disco so of course I dig it.
- Love To The World Prayer - a slower rehash of the lead track with children's choir. I'm out.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
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