Animal is an album by the American R&B band the Bar-Kays, released in 1989.[3][4]
| Animal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Studio | Kiva Studios | |||
| Genre | R&B[1] | |||
| Label | Mercury[2] | |||
| Producer | Kenni Hairston and Trevor Gale (tracks 1, 2 and 8), Harvey Henderson, Larry Dodson and Winston Stewart (co-producers on tracks 1, 2 and 8), James Mtume (tracks 3, 7 and 9), Jerry Goldstein (tracks 4-6 for Powder Horn Entertainment), Sly Stone (co-producer on track 7) | |||
| The Bar-Kays chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Top Black Albums chart.[5] Its first single was "Struck By You", which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Black Singles chart.[6][7] The title track was also released as a single.[8]
Production
editProduced at Kiva Studios, in Memphis, the album was recorded by a three-member lineup.[9][10] Joe Walsh played guitar on the title track. "Just Like a Teeter Totter" was cowritten and coproduced by Sly Stone.[6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
The Orlando Sentinel concluded that, "although modern, metallic sounds shape the bouncing, bending rhythm of the title song, for instance, there's a touch of old- fashioned call-and-response interplay in the vocals."[12] USA Today opined that "what's nice about this album, though, is the band's mature, unfunky handling of slow tunes ... 'Leaving You' shows they can be true balladeers."[14] The New York Amsterdam News determined that although Animal "is thigh-high in funk-fortified R&B, the music is never dated."[1]
AllMusic wrote that "it's important to remember that the Bar-Kays never stopped being a good band—it was taste and fashion that twisted the knife and pushed them aside."[11] The Rolling Stone Album Guide thought that "their best cuts resemble lite pastiches of other bands' refinements."[13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Animal" | 5:14 |
| 2. | "Struck by You" | 5:45 |
| 3. | "Stop! Look What You're Missing" | 5:15 |
| 4. | "Someone Else" | 4:49 |
| 5. | "Are U Available" | 5:37 |
| 6. | "Get Your Fingers Wet" | 5:45 |
| 7. | "Just Like a Teeter Totter" | 4:14 |
| 8. | "I Adore You" | 5:16 |
| 9. | "Leaving You" | 5:15 |
References
edit- ^ a b Rogers, Charles E. (18 Feb 1989). "Different Stages". New York Amsterdam News. p. 27.
- ^ "Jet's Top 20 Albums". Jet. Vol. 75, no. 25. Mar 27, 1989. p. 62.
- ^ Vincent, Rickey (April 15, 1996). "Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One". Macmillan.
- ^ Calloway, Earl (31 Jan 1989). "Mercury Records Releases Bar-Kays Trio's New LP". Chicago Defender. p. 15.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (October 22, 2001). "Funk". Hal Leonard Corporation.
- ^ a b Persall, Steve (26 Feb 1989). "The latest Bar-Kays cook up a tasty, nostalgic party mix". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits. Billboard Books. p. 30.
- ^ Wynn, Ron (Aug 18, 1989). "Music: 3 videos finished". The Commercial Appeal. p. E5.
- ^ Wynn, Ron (Feb 3, 1989). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. E19.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 413.
- ^ a b "Animal". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Duffy, Thom (15 Jan 1989). "Bar-Kays". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 6.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 36–37.
- ^ Jones IV, James T. (8 Feb 1989). "The Listening Room". USA Today. p. 5D.