People's Choice : The Casablanca Sessions

People's Choice were a few years past the peak of their disco success when they did their self-titled 1980 album. The record also marked their move away from the Philadelphia International label to Casablanca, with Tom Moulton taking over producing and arranging. What was at the forefront of R&B musical trends in the mid-'70s sounded passé at the beginning of the 1980s, and it's a pretty average, undistinguished late-period disco album. "You Ought to Be Dancin'" had enough of upbeat catchiness to make it into the Top Ten on the dance music chart, and the other songs are likewise lyrically lightweight dance tunes, thick beats usually remaining in the mix even for the straight romantic songs, like "Sweeter Than Honey." The 2011 CD reissue on Shout adds historical liner notes and five bonus tracks, among them the single "Hey Everybody! (Party Hearty)"; the 45 mixes of "You Ought to Be Dancin'" and "My Feet Won't Move But My Shoes Did the Boogie"; and two previously unissued cuts, "Always in My Heart" and "Bad Bad Rita." "Always in My Heart" stands out as by far the most anomalous track on the disc, getting into a far earthier traditional blues-funk groove on a ballad sung with intensity by Frank Brunson. ~ Richie Unterberger|