| Rhythm & Business | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Label | Epic [1] | |||
| Producer | Emilio Castillo | |||
| Tower of Power chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rhythm and Business is an album by the American band Tower of Power. [2] It was released in 1997. [3] [4] The band promoted the album by playing the Red Sea Jazz Festival, among other concert dates. [5]
The album was produced by bandmember Emilio Castillo. [6] The band had decided not to chase any kind of market trend, and instead record what it wanted. [2] Castillo, Stephen Kupka, and Frances Rocco Prestia were the only founding members who played on Rhythm & Business. [7] The title track is about the state of 1990s R&B and the music industry. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| Los Angeles Daily News | [11] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [12] |
The Boston Globe wrote that "the implausibly soulful baritone sax of Stephen 'Doc' Kupka, Castillo's partner since 1969, is highlighted on 'Spank-A-Dang' and 'East Bay Way'." [13] The Los Angeles Daily News noted that "Tower of Power has never lost the ability to turn up the heat on slippery funk grooves and soulful ballads." [11]
The Blade deemed the album "plain old funk and soul," writing that, "at times, it's like listening in on a jam session as the horns blare and the drums pound." [14] The Sunday News called it "a funky soul assembly of churning Hammond organ, snappy chicken-scratch rhythm guitar, ear-bending wah-wah guitar, high-powered thumb-popping funk bass, soaring gospel-tinged soul singing and those nasty, legendary, extraordinary Tower of Power horns." [15] Christina Cole, of the Anchorage Daily News , listed the album among the best of 1997. [16]
AllMusic wrote that "these guys know all there is to know about R&B and on Rhythm & Business they combine their musical passion, knowledge and abilities into that one-of-a-kind Tower of Power sound." [9]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So I Got to Groove (Stephen Kupka, Emilio Castillo, Herman Matthews)" | 5:44 |
| 2. | "Crazy for You (Marlon McClain, Kupka, Castillo)" | 4:37 |
| 3. | "East Bay Way (Kupka, Castillo, Jeff Tamelier)" | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Unconditional Love (McClain, Kupka, Castillo, Nate Phillips, Wayne Jackson)" | 6:58 |
| 5. | "You Do the Math (Kupka, Tamelier, Jim Pugh)" | 4:47 |
| 6. | "The More You Know (Kupka, Castillo)" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "Recapture the Magic (Kupka, Castillo)" | 5:33 |
| 8. | "What's Your Trip (McClain, Kupka, Castillo)" | 5:40 |
| 9. | "Rhythm and Business (Kupka, Castillo, Matthews, Michael Caplan)" | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Don't Knock Me Down (Kupka, Castillo, Ken Kessie)" | 3:40 |
| 11. | "That Was Then and This Is Now (Kupka, Castillo, Nick Milo)" | 4:35 |
| 12. | "It Really Doesn't Matter (Castillo, Tony Flores)" | 4:35 |
| 13. | "Spank-A-Dang (Matthews, Milo)" | 5:44 |
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