#302 Sly and the Family Stone - Fresh

I liked their best known one, and AMG liked this one too.

And I agree! It is more upbeat than There's A Riot Goin On. The dark, slinking, gutterey grooves come up a bit in songs like Frisky, and the borderline desolation come through in songs like I Don't Know and Que Sera Sera (of all things?). But in general, this is a more traditional funk album, more upbeat - and more traditionally cool, for better or worse.

While it's less powerful than Riot, its more listenable, from the erratic instrument bursts of the opener, into the precise funkiness of If You Want Me to Stay, to the popped out groove of Let Me Have it All - so funky that the chili peppers more or less directly stole it for If You Have to Ask. Skin I'm In has a curious, crate-weary production to it that makes it sound downright Tarantino-ready. And not in a bad way.

If I want the best Sly/Stone album, its probably still the predecessor. But if I want to have a good time, if I want to be happy while I feel cool, instead of riding the darkalley grooveside, this is the winner. Its a great album, still cool, diverse, burstling with energy. Will revisit 4.5/5