Forgive me for sounding like a grumpy granny, but they just don’t make rhythm & blues like they used to. The state of soul music has gotten so pathetic, there’s actually a genre (“neo-soul”) set aside for the handful of R&B artists who are actually good. A case in point: Upon hearing the opening strains of the classic O’Jays ballad “Now That We Found Love,” I was transported not to the fruitful days of 1973, but to the R&B wasteland of 1991, a year that saw Heavy D and his lovable Boyz find success with their miserable rendition.
If, like me, you missed out on the glory days of soul, you should send a thank you card to Epic/Legacy for remastering and repackaging one of the best albums to come out of that period – The O’Jays’ Ship Ahoy. Combining the social consciousness of Curtis Mayfield with the gorgeous harmonies of the Temptations, the record is stuffed with great songs. From tales of racism and air pollution to stories of star-crossed love, each track benefits from the renowned production team of Gamble & Huff, whose exquisite arrangements perfectly complement the crystalline lead vocals of Eddie Levert.
Without a doubt, the anchor of the album is the smash hit single “For The Love Of Money.” Possessing one of the truly legendary bass lines in music history, the track is an immediately recognizable party anthem, but like many soul hits of the time, its message is quite contrary. Its lyrics explore the poison of capitalism with painful simplicity – for decades, people have been smiling and dancing to a song that contains the line “People don’t care who they hurt or beat/For the love of money/A woman will sell her precious body/For a small piece of paper.”
So if you’re getting scared that Tyrese and Ashanti may never leave us alone, pick up Ship Ahoy and discover what R&B really sounds like – you’ll realize that Heavy D will never tarnish the inherent beauty of the O’Jays, even if he clones and brainwashes an unholy army of Boyz.
Appeared in Artvoice.