The Player

From their first single in 1972 all the way through the early ’80s, few Philly soul acts were as primed for the rise of disco as First Choice, whose albums played up the kick-heavy 4/4 groove and the melodiously skilled yet emotionally unrestrained group female vocals that would remain hallmarks of the genre throughout the decade. But despite being known for a fantastic string of cult-fave singles that held high favor in the crates of Larry Levan and Todd Terry, they’re also an excellent album band, with this Norman Harris-helmed ’74 effort being their best: imagine kicking off with an all-timer of a “watch out for this cad” title cut and then keeping that dancefloor fire aflame nearly the whole time — and even the ballads (“You’ve Been Doing Wrong For So Long”; “All I Need Is Time”) leave burns, too.