R&B, soul, and funk, with rock influences. The album encompasses the full range of the early 1970s Isley Brothers sound: uptempo funk workouts, smooth soul ballads, and three cover versions of Carole King compositions recast in the group's distinctively powerful style alongside original material.
Release
Released on May 2, 1972, by T-Neck Records, distributed by Buddah Records. It was the group's tenth studio album.
Production
Produced and arranged by O'Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald Isley. Ernie Isley — not yet an official member of the group — contributed electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and drums to the sessions, as he had on the two preceding albums. Recorded at A&R Studios, New York City.
Reception
The album produced four significant singles: "Lay-Away," "Pop That Thang" (R&B No. 3, Pop No. 24), "Work to Do" (R&B No. 11), and "It's Too Late." Pitchfork awarded it a score of 8.9, praising it as a pivotal transitional work between the group's soul and funk periods. Robert Christgau awarded a B grade. Rolling Stone's original review was favourable.
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are an American R&B and soul group formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the early 1950s by brothers O'Kelly Jr. (1937–1986), Rudolph (born 1939), Ronald (born 1941), and Vernon Isley, who died in 1955. The surviving trio moved to New York in 1957 and broke through in 1959 with "Shout." Their own T-Neck label — founded in 1964 — released Jimi Hendrix's earliest recordings before the group signed with Motown in 1965, scoring "This Old Heart of Mine." Returning to T-Neck in 1969 with the Grammy-winning "It's Your Thing," they entered their most fertile creative period. Younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law Chris Jasper formally joined the group for 3 + 3 (1973), expanding the lineup to six and enabling the funk-rock sound of their classic 1970s run — including "That Lady," "Fight the Power," and "For the Love of You." With a career spanning eight decades, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
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