The Bar-Kays Albums (18)
What The Critics Say
Some vigorous funk and an occasional soulful ballad by The Bar-Kays, who were re-establishing their funk credentials and rebuilding after recovering from the '67 plane crash. This album included the title track and several other short, peppy vocal and instrumental numbers, although it wasn't as well-produced as some later '70s and '80s efforts. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The always entertaining and delightful, but sometimes derivative Bar-Kays come up aces this time. Three hard funk tunes -- "She Can Get It," the title track, and "Irresistible" -- are as arresting as top-flight ballads like the seven-minute-plus "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" and "If It Takes All Night," where Evelyn "Champagne" King adds a soulful vocal. The CD opens with "Introduction," a lazy wass-up telephone call by one Bar-Kay to another, the same spiel used in a popular commercial that first aired during the Y2K NFL Super Bowl, six years after this CD surfaced. They also include a "Mega Mix," a musical collage of the disc's dozen songs. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Bar-Kays' final LP until their re-emergence a half-decade later, 1989's Animal was essentially a hollow reprisal of 1987's Contagious. Pared down to a trio comprising Larry "D" Dodson, Winston Stewart, and Harvey "Joe" Henderson for that outing, the band was devastated when longtime producer Allen Jones passed away shortly after. Working now with Tony Prendatt, the Bar-Kays hashed together a mediocre set of light urban dance numbers. Not even the occasional flashes of their early fire that punctuate the LP were able to keep them in the spotlight. Too much time had passed and the shift in musical directions was too great to support the Bar-Kays' now-archaic sounds. The songs on Animal are synth-heavy and bass-happy, but such sounds were long past their sell-by date. However, there are some points of interest. The title track is funky enough; Dodson's vocals are always a treat and the performance is thoroughly enlivened by guest guitarist Joe Walsh. Also of note is the deeply funky and sparse "Just Like a Teeter-Totter," which brought the band closer to their heyday than they had strayed in nearly a decade. Co-produced by Sly Stone, the man who had particular influence on Dodson, it was a neat full-circle moment for the band whose roots most had either forgotten or never even been aware of. It's important to remember that the Bar-Kays never stopped being a good band -- it was taste and fashion that twisted the knife and pushed them aside. It's also hard to maintain dewy effusiveness when your career essentially amounts to an album a year. Despite its unevenness, Animal gave the band a Top 50 hit -- how many other bands whose careers span three decades can you say that about? ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Funk pioneers the Bar-Kays not only succeeded in stamping their own rock influence on the genre, but also influenced a generation of vocalists while keeping their own sense of sound intact. By the '80s, however, the band had traded in some of their traditional chops for a more electronic vibe, one which certainly gave nod to the younger generation of funkers coming up right behind them -- Prince and Cameo's Larry Blackmon especially. This move to a wave groove is particularly evident on Propositions, although the band keeps three very distinctive styles going throughout the set. The majority of songs, however, are heavy on the synth, including the title track and "Tripping Out." "Do It (Let Me See You Shake)," meanwhile, had trappings that were pure Prince, and cracked the R&B Top Ten. To temper that tumultuous flow, the band also included two soul/rock ballads, "Anticipation" and "I Can't Believe You're Leaving Me." Both the old school "(Busted)" and "You Made a Change in My Life," meanwhile, returned the funk to full focus, while the band lets their real talents rip. Propositions definitely succeeded in its time and its place. Bar-Kays fans from the '70s probably won't love it, but anyone who cut their teeth on the pop sounds of the mid-'80s should snap this up and enjoy the history lesson. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By 1981, the Bar-Kays were firmly at the front of the synth-laden R&B pack that would come to dominate much of the scene. But, although they had left their Stax era chops behind, four albums into their Mercury career the band was still capable of flinging some fine funk your way. Best described, perhaps, as contemporary and more urban dance, Nightcruising showcased the band in fine form. Multiple lineup changes hadn't detracted too much from their overall proficiency, a seamless sound ineffably aided by their long-term relationship with producer Allen Jones. The sonics here are slick, bright, and punchy, and when the Bar-Kays are good they're nearly unstoppable, a trait best experienced across the hits "Hit and Run" and the deliciously lunatic "Freaky Behavior," which is packed with electronic antics and just a hint of Rick James styling. But there are other nice touches as well, particularly across the older school-styled "Touch Tone" and "Traffic Jam." Where the band stumbles, however, is across their ballads. They're nice enough to be sure, but listeners have never looked to the Bar-Kays to fill that void. And ultimately, it's this mishmash of style and intent that detracts from the overall package. Rather than try to please everyone, the band should stick to what they do best -- thrill the grooves off a crowd. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Another in the Bar-Kays' monstrous string of hit LPs, 1980's As One unleashed one more blistering set upon a public who seemed unable to get enough of the band. As usual, the LP slammed into the Top Ten, down only slightly from the previous year's Injoy. And, reaching back to the graphics of 1978's Light of Life, the group again wrought a fine parody of Earth, Wind & Fire's space-age Egyptology for their cover. But, of course, it's what's inside that matters. And here, at least in part, the Bar-Kays wouldn't disappoint. Both the title track and "Boogie Body Land" are classic Bar-Kays funk behemoths, and even the LP's second charting single, "Body Fever," isn't bad, although it does pale markedly in comparison. Where the band falters, however, is across a few more-than-mediocre ballads -- replete with very MOR crescendoed backing vocals. They were never at their best as a ballad band, and by 1980 perhaps they had run out of steam on that front. "Open Your Heart," meanwhile, is a cute little disco song -- but there were so many disco acts doing it better. The Bar-Kays were on a real fencepost here, teetering between old and new before dropping wholeheartedly into more contemporary waters. However, their three previous LPs were all leaning toward the future as well -- and were done much better. At the end of the day, perhaps a little time out would have been warranted. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Its title a snazzy double play, the Bar-Kays' 1979 classic Injoy LP was the first and most successful of a quintet of albums that swept the band to the top of the charts and into the stratosphere of superstardom for half a decade. An energetic and primarily funk-driven set, Injoy was dominated by the supreme "Move Your Boogie Body," an eminently danceable, pop-friendly slab that cut the bass with strings, powered home the excellent vocals, added some Euro-disco synth, and soared into the Top Five to give the Bar-Kays their highest-to-date spot on the charts. But while that track may have captured the public heart, the bandmembers had even better tricks up their very flashy sleeves, powering through the classic funk of "More and More" and "Up in Here" -- a song of unmitigated old-school proportions that reprises the Moroder-isms deep in the mix. Elsewhere, the band toned it down with several ballads, including "Girl I'm on Your Side" and "Running In and Out of My Life." With the Bar-Kays at the top of their form, there was little that could detract from this set. And, while Injoy just missed the top spot on the R&B chart, it still got a nation off the couch and onto the dancefloor. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
1978 saw the Bar-Kays continue across Light of Life all that they'd begun on the previous year's Flying High on Your Love. Debuting a new ten-member lineup, the group offered up a heady blend of classic funk spun with thoroughly contemporary disco ethics. The only drawback to the Bar-Kays' sound was that such a rapid-fire release schedule was rendering their unique sound a little samey. What worked beautifully across one LP was less unique across the next and, by the third, was nearing the point of overkill. That said, there are still many, many fine moments on Light of Life. Their balladeering skills were improving and are showcased magnificently on "We're the Happiest People in the World" and, of course, they absolutely sparkled across the funk-fests: the effusive "Get up 'N' Do It" and "Give It Up," which carries nods to both Hamilton Bohannon's "Disco Stomp" and the iconoclastic "Theme From Shaft." Rush-released to compete with Fantasy's cash-in Money Talks, compiled from the band's late Stax-era recordings, Light of Life faltered some in its wake. Nevertheless, Light of Life still gave the band their fourth Top 20 hit as "Shine," while "Are You Being Real" furthered their longevity on the singles chart. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although the Bar-Kays stuck with the Stax Records until its demise in 1976, the label stopped releasing the group's recordings after 1973. However, when they re-emerged as a success on the Mercury label with hits like "Shake Your Rump to the Funk," some unreleased recordings they made between 1974 and 1976 were released as an album entitled Money Talks. Although this repackaging was obviously designed to cash in on the group's success, Money Talks stands up as a solid and consistent album in its own right. This material lays the groundwork for the Bar-Kays' post-Stax style by trading live-in-the-studio jams for a carefully produced sound and blending in standout pop hooks into the funky grooves. The best example is "Holy Ghost," a hard-grooving monster of a jam where elaborate horn arrangements dance around a thick synthesizer bassline as Larry Dodson lays down a salacious vocal about his lover's otherworldly romantic skills. It became a big R&B hit when released as a single in 1978 and was later sampled by M/A/R/R/S on their club classic "Pump Up the Volume." Other memorable tracks include the title track, a high-stepping tune that showcases the chops of the horn players, and "Mean Mistreater," an unlikely but effective Grand Funk Railroad cover that transforms the minimalist original tune into a spooky yet sexy mood piece built on some languid keyboard work. None of the other tracks are as strong as "Holy Ghost" (which is so good that it bookends the album in two versions), but they are all listenable and flow together surprisingly well as an album. All in all, Money Talks is a fine slab of vintage funk that will please anyone who loves old-school grooves. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
