Keep On Bumpin & Masterplan

The debut LP from Kay-Gee's proved that the band led by Kevin Bell (brother to Kool & the Gang's Ronald) had all the deep, driving grooves, kinetic energy, and street-corner vibes of funk's master outfit. Produced by Ronald Bell and Kool & the Gang, Keep on Bumpin' & Masterplan featured a pair of strong lead tracks and plenty more strong material, like "Hustle Wit Every Muscle" (used as the theme song to the television show Party). The Kay-Gee's' horn section was equal to Kool & the Gang's, and if they lacked a few of the awesome hooks that propelled Ronald Bell's group into the R&B charts on a regular basis, alto/soprano Pete Duarte was a superior soloist and female vocal trio Something Sweet filled in the gaps on the great jam "Let's Boogie" and "Wondering." Kay-Gee's were also better at locking into great grooves, while Kool & the Gang spent too much time mixing up their style. True, a Kool & the Gang singles collection would blow Kay-Gee's' out of the water, but even they never recorded an album as good as Keep on Bumpin' & Masterplan. ~ John Bush