Dazz Band - On The One 1982

 Following grandly in the style of their 1982 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.