Like AWB, Tower of Power deals in anachronistic soul; unlike AWB, TOP evinces no flair for songwriting, singing or even arranging. The group's formula runs something like this: Borrow your funk from Dyke and the Blazers or Charles Wright, your ballads from the Originals or Jerry Butler, dilute with horn charts inspired by Blood, Sweat and Tears, and then present, for a garnish, an utterly anonymous lead vocalist. Such stuff is consistent, predictable and occasionally ("You're Still a Young Man") borderline memorable. Urban Renewal fits the formula. (RS 187)

JIM MILLER