Skin Tight cover

Skin Tight

Released

The Ohio Players were much more than their hit singles and sexy album cover photos, and this album, their first of two released in 1974, proves it. While “Skin Tight” is a monster groove, with a stinging horn line, the album version runs nearly eight minutes and makes room for extended solos. Once you get past the jokey title, “Streakin’ Cheek To Cheek” is a monster jazz-funk jam that showcases Billy Beck’s keyboard wizardry; “It’s Your Night/Words Of Love” is an eight-minute soul-gospel ballad with some psychedelic warping and panning added to the vocals, to captivating effect; and the closing “Is Anybody Gonna Be Saved?” takes them into Funkadelic territory, laying apocalyptic visions and social criticism over a monster groove.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Chaco cover

Chaco

Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas
I Am cover

I Am

Earth, Wind & Fire
Hand Jive cover

Hand Jive

John Scofield
Caliente! cover

Caliente!

Gato Barbieri
Melting Pot cover

Melting Pot

Booker T. & the M.G.'s
History Gets Ahead of the Story cover

History Gets Ahead of the Story

Jeff Cosgrove, John Medeski, Jeff Lederer
World Wide Funk cover

World Wide Funk

Bootsy Collins