| In contrast
to the many soul veterans who who have turned to urban contemporary
sounds in the hope of staying on the staying on the charts,
Tower of Power has stuck with the type of horn-driven, live-sounding
funk and soul that put the Bay Area band on the map.
Tower was long past its prime
by the time Monster on a Leash was released in 1991, and had
experienced its share of personnel changes. Lead singer Tom
Bowes, although a passionate and competent belter, is hardly
on a par with Lenny Williams.
Even so, this is a respectable
and decent effort from a band that remained artistically viable
by staying true to itself. Unapologetically '70s-sounding, the
album falls short of the unmitigated excellence of Back to Oakland
and Urban Renewal, but isn't significantly different in its
approach, content or attitude.
While novices would do better
to start with either those gems, this is an album that diehard
Tower enthusiasts shouldn't pass up.
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