Aurra

For Slave fans, the release of spin-off group Aurra's self-titled debut in 1980 was a major event. While Aurra isn't the group's most essential release and wasn't their most commercially successful --1981's Send Your Love was the Aurra album that boasted the hit "Are You Single?" -- it's a solid funk/soul outing that has Slave written all over it. Indeed, the strong Slave influence is impossible to miss on such addictive cuts as "Who Are You," "When I Come Home," and the single "In the Mood (To Groove)." Those who had appreciated the rock influence in some of Slave's material should have no problem getting into "Too Much," a funk-rock gem that, in an ideal world, would have been a hit single. In 1980, however, "Too Much" stood little chance of finding radio airplay because it was too rock-minded for black radio and too funky for AOR programmers. The most disco-flavored song on the LP is "Got to Get My Lady Back"; while Slave and Aurra's albums generally had more to do with funk and R&B than disco, this Shalamar-inflected item was clearly aimed at the disco crowd. Aurra wasn't a chart buster, but among Slave's more hardcore devotees, it earned a lot of respect. ~ Alex Henderson