The O'Jays: Message In The Music : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Now that the Staples are unabashed sex merchants, the O'Jays are pop's foremost message mongerers. But the O'Jays don't write or produce their albums, so their records are vehicles for the occasionally cloudy religious and social visions of producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. In his liner notes, Gamble defines The Problem as a "lack of truth and communication among man and woman." He says, "The word with music can ... calm the savage beast that lives in every man." Whatever happened to "I don't want no malt, I wanna dance"?

Such folderol, coupled with Philadelphia International's recent dismal track record, gives one a sense of dread. But this is another solid O'Jays album, even closer to gospel than Family Reunion. If nothing else, Philadelphia International has got religion.

While the message in the breezy, MOR-styled "Message in Our Music" is never revealed, the three other songs on side one all suggest that the answer is Up There somewhere. "Make a Joyful Noise," in fact, has one of the most ferocious tracks from Philly in some time; the song might be the first Top 40 gospel smash since "Oh Happy Day." If not that, then certainly "Let Life Flow," since psychobabble is big this year. "Flow" is the type of utterly innocuous and irresistible song that one used to associate with the Intruders.

If recent PI albums indicate the company's desperate need for a consistently top-notch creative staff to complement Gamble and Huff, Message in the Music at least certifies that the pair continues to lead the pop music pack.