The Dazz Band - Invitation To Love [1980]
The debut album by the erstwhile Kinsman Dazz Band, debuting both their newly abbreviated name and their arrival on Motown (following a handful of singles for 20th Century), Invitation to Love was released in 1980 and immediately placed the Dazz Band on the R&B fast track, bathing in a spotlight they wouldn't leave for the better part of a decade. A classic combination of up- and down-tempo grooves, the Dazz Band proved themselves to be strong in multiple genres. At ease with the fiery, classic late-'70s funk sounds of "Shake It Up," which is dominated not only by a fat bass and Bobby Harris' outstanding horns, but by vocals that are very reminiscent of Earth, Wind & Fire, the group was equally at home across the sweet and sensual title track. All smooth grooves, again dominated by horns but supplemented by Sennie Martin III's absolutely stunning soul vocals, "Invitation to Love" was as good a ballad as any out there. Both songs would hit the R&B charts. The Dazz Band kicked up the funk a few more notches across "Magnetized" and "Skate Lovers," while "Beyond the Horizon" closed the set with a string- and horn-driven instrumental. Although their sound would change dramatically as the 1980s unfolded, especially after the success of 1982's "Let It Whip" placed them firmly in a synthesized dance vein, Invitation to Love is still a wonderful introduction to the Dazz Band's early output, capturing them on the cusp of Motown soul and the furious '80s funk that would make their name.
The Dazz Band - Let The Music Play [1981]
Having already released two albums to little fanfare on 20th Century, under their original name Kinsman Dazz, 1980-1981 saw the band shorten their name, sign to R&B powerhouse Motown, and come back with the near-total reinvention of Let the Music Play. Bucking the early-'80s trend of synthesizing absolutely everything, the Dazz Band kept their music flowing around the more traditional funk trappings of exquisitely elastic basslines and brightly crafted horns. Keys were introduced only to make a sonic point -- they work to their best advantage on the rambunctiously quirky "Freaky Lovin'," and the mid-tempo moves on the title track. "Don't Stop," meanwhile, only adds to the upbeat energy with its snappy bass-driven danceability. The rest of the set, however, is dedicated to a softer, smoother, vocally focused R&B style that is spread liberally across "What Will I Do Without You," "This Time It's Forever," and "I Believe in You." "Knock Knock," the best of the bunch, emerged as Let the Music Play's sole charting single, reaching the Top 50 in August. Patchy in places, and leaning more heavily on a bland, soft style than the band needed, it's obvious that the Dazz Band were stretching their wings and finding the groove that would keep them in heavy chart rotation through the entire decade.
The Dazz Band - Keep It Live [1982]
This album spawned "Let It Whip," and contains a mixture of "Whip"-ish tracks and slow, tantalizing ballads. "Keep It Live" and "Whip" both feature throbbing basslines and spirited vocals. "Whip" is an unusual dance tune in that the song was successful but the dance never caught on. Lead Skip Martin displays his romantic skills on the shuffling "Gamble with My Love" and "Let Me Love You Until." Despite the big hit, this is not the Dazz Band's best overall. Dazz was experiencing growing pains -- they wanted to produce themselves totally, but had to defer and follow Motown's suggestions on what the finished product should sound like.
The Dazz Band - On The One [1982]
Following grandly in the style of their 1981 smash "Let It Whip," The Dazz Band laid down another excellent set of contemporary funk, shot through with a heavily synthesized dance groove -- their trademark, and a winning combination. Although the advent of CDs would make a mockery of their ambition, the Dazz Band programmed the album for two very separate moods -- side one, for the most part, heaves with pounding funkers, side two takes the tempo way down for a clutch of sweet ballads. Both sides, of course, have their devotees. With a Parliament-esque style that broke in waves across the opening "Party Right Here," side one is a nonstop whipping, the party sliding gleefully into "Cheek to Cheek" and, from there, the effusive, "On the One for Fun." The biggest charting hit of the three, the song seems perpetually on the verge of slipping into "Let It Whip" -- which was probably the intention. That it reached number nine on the R&B charts is no great surprise. "A Love Song" slows down somewhat, but with its vibe wrapped around a jazzy horn-driven, up-tempo smooth talker, it never quite immerses itself in balladic waters. That is, indeed, left to side two, where only "Nice Girls" shakes things up with a fistful of funk.
The Dazz Band - Joystick [1983]
From Cleveland to Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio was famous for its funk bands in the 1970s. One of the many Ohio funk outfits that emerged during the decade was Cleveland's Dazz Band, which was originally known as Kinsman Dazz. Like so many Midwestern funksters, the Dazz Band had a killer horn section. But in 1983, horn bands were quickly going out of fashion and a new style of electro-funk was taking over -- one that favored keyboards and drum machines over horns and showed an awareness of hip-hop production techniques. The popularity of electro-funk put a lot of 1970s bands out of business, but the Dazz Band managed to hang in there and change with the times. On 1983's Joystick, the Dazz Band is a lot more high-tech than it was in the late '70s, but is still quite gritty. Tracks like "Straight Out of School," "Rock With Me," and the hit single "Swoop (I'm Yours)" find the Dazz Band meeting the demands of the electro-funk market with pleasing results -- anyone digging Prince, Midnight Star, and the System in 1983 could easily get into the Dazz Band as well. While other horn bands had a hard time going high-tech, the Dazz Band pulled it off. Joystick isn't the Dazz Band's most essential album, and it doesn't contain the group's biggest hit, "Let It Whip." But it's a solid, respectable effort from an outfit that, in 1983, was making a valiant effort to avoid sounding dated.
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