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Rating: Great |
Some records don't demand interpretation, but surrender. The Concept, Slave's third album, is just such a record. A work not meant to be analyzed, but to be felt. From the very first seconds, the groove pulses through your body, transporting you to a sonic landscape where rhythm is king and the dance floor is sacred. Slave had already built a reputation within the funk world in 1978, but with this album, they take a decisive step towards maturity.
What's immediately striking is how tight and full this record sounds. Everything seems to fall into place. The drums are robust, the bass lines are slushy and organic, and above all floats an almost cosmic mix of horns, synthesizers, and vocal layers. It's music that moves. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. While the album is essentially focused on moving the listener, there's also something deeper at play. The arrival of Steve Arrington as a new band member is a defining moment. His voice cuts through the production with a freshness and conviction that adds something extra to the whole. Singer Starleana Young also contributes, broadening the sonic palette.
The album's highlight is undoubtedly "Stellar Fungk!"—a song that lives up to its name. It's exhilarating, sweaty, and irresistibly funky. Everything Slave possesses comes together here. The rhythm is tight, the horns sharp, the groove endless. But even a track like "The Way You Love Is Heaven" reveals another side. A slow, layered composition that reveals the band as more than just groove-makers. You hear subtlety here, a sense of atmosphere and timing that doesn't rely on sensationalism. It's precisely this variety that makes the album captivating.
Yet it's not necessarily an album of clear highlights. Where some funk albums rely on one or two recognizable hits, The Concept is more of an uninterrupted flow of rhythm. The energy remains constant, the tension tight. This has a hypnotic effect, but it also means the album isn't always memorable. There are few straightforward choruses that you'll be humming for days. What remains is atmosphere, groove, and a solid foundation of musicianship. And that ultimately proves more than enough.
What Slave presents here isn't so much a collection of individual songs, but a coherent identity. The band feels completely in tune, like an organism breathing in time with the bass drum. The production, clear and unforced, allows each element to flow freely. The sound is layered but never muddy. It's music you can literally follow from the first snare to the last hi-hat accent. You hear precision without it becoming sterile.
Anyone listening to The Concept will discover a band that has found its style. This isn't an experimental sidetrack or a quest for innovation, but rather a reinforcement of what Slave already did well. And that's precisely why the album still holds up today. It doesn't rely on trends or frills. It seeks out the groove, deepens it, and lets it breathe. That makes this record timeless, yet inextricably linked to the moment it was created.
More than forty years later, it's easy to see why this record is cherished by fans. It's an album that stands firm, yet simultaneously dances like a spring. With The Concept, Slave demonstrates that they weren't simply drifting along on the funk circuit of the seventies. Within that context, they built something unique. No revolution, no frills. Just a perfectly running machine that knew exactly what it was doing. And sometimes, that's all a good funk record needs to be.
= Full Album Play List =
= Track List =
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