The Ritchie Family

This generous and extensive compilation covers the career of the Ritchie Family, a trio of female vocalists who were produced by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo (best-known for the hits they crafted for the Village People). Their sound basically worked Three Degrees-style harmonized girl group vocals into an instrumental backdrop that balanced Euro-disco slickness with aggressive pop hooks. Like many disco groups, they did a lot of medleys, the most successful being "The Best Disco in Town," a song that contrasts a frothy wraparound dance tune with a medley midsection that includes snippets of songs like "I'll Be There" and "I Love Music." Other notable covers include "Brazil," which brought this pre-rock standard into the disco era with aggressive horns and a stomping dance beat, and "Arabian Nights Medley," which cleverly transformed old tunes like "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" and "Lawrence of Arabia" into an exotica-inspired disco symphony. In terms of originals, standout selections include "American Generation," which works burbling synthesizers into their party-hearty disco sound, and "Put Your Feet to the Beat," a call to dancefloor action that contrasts a churning beat with a sleek, dreamy string arrangement. The track selection also throws in a few recordings from the group's post-'70s period, but tracks like "All Night All Right" unfortunately forsake the group's distinctive sound in favor of a bland, synthesizer-dominated early-'80s dance style that is much less interesting to listen to. Hardcore disco fanatics may carp that this compilation lacks the 12" recordings that made the Ritchie Family a staple at discos, but The Best Disco in Town remains a solid cross-section of the group's best recordings that will please casual listeners. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide