In the 1990s, former sidemen and concentrated on instrumental jazz. But back in the late '70s they were both part of 's empire and focused on . Having been in 's employ, trombonist and saxman were obvious choices for 's various projects. The Godfather of Soul was a major influence on and gave a first-class education in funk and soul that served them well when they hooked up with . In 1977, produced , the debut album by -- a group that boasted on trombone, on tenor and alto sax, and on trumpet. did a lot of the writing, and not surprisingly, much of this vinyl LP is pure . The album gets off to a gritty start with a remake of 's and the influence is equally strong on As for the instrumentals, blends funk and jazz, while 's moody isn't unlike something you would have heard on a recording in the 1970s. in fact, is the least -sounding thing on the LP. isn't in a class with , ' or , but it's a generally likable, if uneven, record that die-hard collectors should be aware of. [This edition of the album adds two bonus remixes (of the title track and ) and a brief audio interview with .] ~ Alex Henderson