It’s safe to say that there was no band quite like Mother’s Finest at the time. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, they blend funk and soul with a heavy rock groove and guitars. Oddly enough they have had two self titled albums, this one that was released in ’76 on Epic, and one in ’72 on RCA, which after released, the band were dropped.
Led by the amazing voice of Joyce Kennedy, this band and this album grooves hard. I have loved it since the first day I heard it eons ago. Opening track, Fire, is all of their influences rolled into one track. It’s one big groovy monster of a tune, and the vibe carries over into the follow up track, Give You All The Love. It has a killer solo to add to the funk rock groove, and it just keeps going in true southern style. Epic tune! Niggizz Can’t Sing Rock And Roll is the last track on Side 1, and this is the perfect melding of soul and rock – the middle eight just grooves on.
Side 2 and a Montrose style riff announces the arrival of My Baby. The honky tonk piano, and Joyce’s killer vocal just scream Muscle Shoals. Fly With Me is Sly Stone on steroids – the soul is deep in this one. Don’t cha Wanna Love Me is all over the map (and even visits Broadway) before settling into a more conventional groove. Rain closes out the album and is as rock as this album gets. Still an enjoyable listen.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
