The album peaked at No. 185 on the Billboard 200.[5] "I'll Stay" was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals" category.[6]
Production
Produced by Hargrove, the album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.[7][8] Hargrove used a 10-piece band on the album.[9] He considered it to be a tribute to his childhood love of hip hop; he also wanted to impart a gospel or spiritual element to the music.[10][11] Bassists Reggie Washington and Pino Palladino were among the musicians on the album.[12]
The Boston Globe deemed Hard Groove a "genre-busting album [that] is a funky showcase of Hargrove's musical alacrity."[23]The New York Times labeled it "a late-night party album: it begins upbeat then settles into a stoned haze."[24] The Birmingham Post concluded that "there's a 1970's retro feel which conjures up Donald Byrd's hits, as well as some funk worthy of George Clinton, but it's also very up-to-date, especially in the sophistication of the studio sound."[25]
The Washington Post wrote: "Loose-limbed and groove-driven, it occasionally sounds overplayed and undercomposed as the musicians struggle to find the right balance of rhythmic momentum and jazz improvisation."[15] The New York Amsterdam News stated that Hargrove "plays on the edge of his imagination using jazz improvisations as the key to display another exciting element of his creativity."[26]
AllMusic called the album "an exploration of his multidimensional musical attributes and his belated recognition of years of 'open-eared moonlighting'."[20]The Penguin Guide to Jazz determined that "Pastor 'T'" "might be one of Hargrove's best performances on record."[22]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Roy Hargrove except where noted.
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