Ladies Night

iTunes Review

After floundering during the second half of the ‘70s, Kool & The Gang rebounded and came back with their most successful album to date, Ladies Night. The big change was the addition of J.T. Taylor, the first lead singer in the group’s history. Taylor brought the group renewed energy and focus, not to mention a brilliant crossover voice. With Taylor’s supple, sexy pipes, the Gang finally had the missing ingredient to compete with Earth, Wind & Fire and the Commodores, their longtime rivals. “If You Feel Like Dancin’” and “Hangin’ Out” might have been plain instrumentals if not for Taylor’s added sparkle. “Got You Into My Life” and “Too Hot” are gentle mergers of pop and disco that would have been unimaginable were it not for the presence of Taylor. The other crucial ingredient is Brazilian keyboard wiz and arranger Eumir Deodato. Even when the group is sliding on a basic groove — as on “Tonight’s the Night”— Deodato laces it with effortless musicality. All the elements converge on “Ladies Night,” a deceptively light dance-floor stepper with a seduction that refuses to run out.