Sun

From Cleveland to Dayton to Cincinnati, Ohio had an abundance of horn powered funk bands in the 1970s. If Philadelphia and Detroit were best known for sophisticated Northern soul, Ohio's major cities were famous for hardcore funksters like the Ohio Players, Bootsy's Rubber Band, the Dazz Band (originally Kinsman Dazz), Slave, and Lakeside. Dayton was the home of Sun, a funk combo that showed a lot of promise in the beginning but didn't get nearly as far as it should have commercially. Sun's output was inconsistent -- some of its material was excellent, much of it was merely competent. But the band's recording career got off to a fairly promising start with 1976's Live On, Dream On, which boasted the sweaty funk gem "Wanna Make Love." Unfortunately, many of the people who bought the single passed on this good-to-excellent LP, and that was a mistake because a lot of the other material is almost as strong. While "Wanna Make Love" is lusty and carnal, a more spiritual, Earth, Wind & Fire-ish outlook defines funk items like "They're Calling for More," "Tell the People," and the title song. Meanwhile, Sun's romantic side successfully asserts itself on the haunting ballad "My Woman." Live On, Dream On (which Capitol re-released as Wanna Make Love several months later) falls short of perfect, but for the most part, it is among Sun's stronger, more memorable albums. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide