A quintessential funk band of the 1970s, Tower of Power was one of the strongest horn-centric large-ensemble groove factories around. The band never really burned out, touring and making new records into the decades that followed, shuffling players as it went. 40th Anniversary serves as testament to the band still going strong, if in an evolved form from where it began. Crowd favorites like "What Is Hip" and "This Time It's Real" highlight Tower of Power's signature horn-laden breezy soul sound. This is very much a live album, with plenty of extraneous crowd-baiting and banter sprinkled over the otherwise solid performances. 40th Anniversary is probably better enjoyed with the visual component of the accompanying DVD, which documents the same performance as the CD. ~ Fred Thomas

Rovi