Charles Wright

After going for more than a few years without recording, Charles Wright and His 103rd St. Rhythm Band made an unexpected return to the studio in 1998 with Going to the Party. Wright had enjoyed some major hits in the 1960s and 1970s, but in the 1980s and 1990s, the singer wasn't nearly as visible (although his signature tune, "Express Yourself," and had been sampled by N.W.A and other rappers). This CD's front cover boasts that it was "played by human beings, not by machines," and Wright speaks the truth. Party sounds like it was played by a real band, not just one guy with a drum machine, sequencers and synthesizers. Instead of trying to appeal to urban contemporary tastes of the late 1990s, Wright sticks with a 1970s-type sound on gritty funk smokers like "Groove It" and "She Don't Believe," as well as silky slow jams such as "I'll Give You Time" and "Is It Real." In fact, much of the material sounds like it could have been recorded 20 or 25 years earlier. Wright doesn't have the voice he did in his heyday, and Party isn't in a class with his outstanding Warner Bros. output of the 1960s and 1970s. But it's a competent and sincere effort from someone who knows what a real R&B band sounds like. It was nice having Wright back in the studio. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide