8th Day

8th Day were a studio-based congregation on Invictus Records: the post-Motown label from Holland/Dozier/Holland. There wasn't an official group lineup, and the musicians and singers in 8th Day were featured in other Invictus/Hot Wax groups -- most notably in 100 Proof (Aged In Soul) -- but sweating over the details of who did what and who was where misses the point of the Invictus sound: the sound and the songs took prominence over group membership, and why not? The team at Invictus was tremendous, creating big, "Wall of Sound" productions that were nevertheless nimble, stylish, and lush: a perfect expansion of the Motown aesthetic for the post-psychedelic, smooth, soul era. The first 8th Day record, 8th Day, is among their greatest efforts, and it is here in its entirety on And on the 8th Day...God Created Soul: The Invictus Sessions. Put this together with their second album, I Gotta Get Home (Can't Let My Baby Get Lonely), and you've got a complete overview of their career. That alone is enough to make this essential for serious collectors, but if your tastes run toward the group's irresistible hits -- "She's Not Just Another Woman," "You've Got to Crawl (Before You Walk)," "Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)" -- you may be better off sticking with a hits collection, since the second 8th Day album is a misguided affair into jam-oriented funk-soul that loses the plot quickly. There are some good moments, to be sure, but it lacks the panoramic, Technicolor sweep of that first album and its hits, and is more of a curiosity than a legitimate cult item. And on the 8th Day. . ., though, is one of the best of its kind and it is heard here in all its glory. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide