| Unite | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 22, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | October 1991 – August 1992 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 74:34 | |||
| Label | JRS | |||
| Kool & the Gang chronology | ||||
| ||||
Unite is the nineteenth studio album by the band Kool & the Gang, released in 1992 following a three-year gap between albums. It marked the return of Khalis Bayyan to the group after his absence on Sweat. The album was released on iTunes under the title "Jump Up On It!".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Funk (Dave Thompson) | 4/10 [2] |
| The Morning Star |  [3] |
| North County Blade-Citizen | B− [4] |
Kool & the Gang's first album in three years, Unite was originally released by the Los Angeles–based JRS Records before being re-released on April 27, 1993, by Mogull Entertainment, [5] [6] with the title track issued as the lead single on April 9. [5] To coincide with the 1993 release, band member Robert "Kool" Bell presented some of the group's 1970s memorabilia at New York's Hard Rock Cafe. [6] As with the group's previous album Sweat (1989), Unite was a commercial failure. [2]
Vlado Forgac of The Morning Star commented that the absence of former Kool & the Gang singer James "J.T." Taylor radically altered the group's sound, and criticised the material for being "too much like older guys trying to be hip and young and sounding too obvious to be taken seriously." However, he added that listeners who were unfamiliar with the group's earlier material might enjoy the album's "'90s-ish R&B". [3] North County Blade-Citizen reviewer Dan Bennett wrote that Unite is "where groove meets high-tech", further describing the songs as "cutting edge soul/jazz bites laced with the hip-hop urgency of that new street sound" and comparing them to James Brown's contemporary Universal James (1993). He found that despite the album sometimes "[straining] to find its own identity", he praised the group for possessing the "raw energy and musical know how" to survive. [4] Corpus Christi Caller-Times reviewed the single "Unite" as an "uplifting call for peace" and praised singer Odeen Mays for "being inspirational without showboating". [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(Jump on to the) Rhythm and Ride" | 5:07 |
| 2. | "I Think I Love You" | 4:49 |
| 3. | "Love Come Down" | 4:14 |
| 4. | "Pretty Little Sexy Miss" | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Better Late Than Never" | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Heart" | 4:45 |
| 7. | "My Search Is Over" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "WKOOL" | 0:21 |
| 9. | "Summer" | 6:10 |
| 10. | "B. Ball" | 0:58 |
| 11. | "Brown" | 5:55 |
| 12. | "Give Right Now to You" | 4:13 |
| 13. | "State of the Earth Address" | 0:49 |
| 14. | "The Weight" | 3:58 |
| 15. | "It's Not Too Late" | 0:47 |
| 16. | "Show Us the Way to Love" | 5:20 |
| 17. | "Now Is the Time" | 0:55 |
| 18. | "Unite" | 5:50 |
| 19. | "Klassical Kool" | 0:40 |
| 20. | "God Will Find You" | 4:48 |
| 21. | "Spatial Relationships" | 1:27 |
Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow, and Ricky Westfield. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock, and pop music. After settling on their name following several changes, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album, Kool and the Gang (1969).
KZTV is a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with the E. W. Scripps Company, owner of dual NBC/CW+ affiliate KRIS-TV and low-power dual Telemundo affiliate/independent station K22JA-D, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios on Artesian Street in downtown Corpus Christi; KZTV's transmitter is located between Petronila and Robstown.
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This article presents the discography of American band Kool & the Gang.
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"La Carcacha" is a song recorded by American singer Selena for her third studio album, Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). The song was written by A.B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. It was inspired by a dilapidated car and an experience in which A.B. observed a woman's willingness to court the owner of a luxury car. The song, characterized by its rhythmic melodies and satirical portrayal of life in the barrio, highlights the importance of love and genuine connection over material wealth. It is a Tejano cumbia song that is emblematic of Selena's typical style, while music critics found it to be musically similar to "Baila Esta Cumbia".
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"Too Hot" is a song recorded by the American band Kool & the Gang for their 1979 album Ladies' Night. It was written by George Brown and Kool & the Gang, and produced by Eumir Deodato and Kool & the Gang. The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The HBK Gang is an American hip-hop collective based in Richmond, California, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Iamsu!, Chief, Skipper, and P-Lo in 2008, members also include singer Kehlani and rapper-producers Sage the Gemini, IsThatCJ, Rossi, Dave Steezy, Jay Ant, and Kool John. After contributing to various mixtapes, including Iamsu's Kilt II, in August of 2013, the group released their debut mixtape, Gang Forever. HBK Gang Records is the name of an associated independent record label.
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