Oakland Zone

Tower Of Power | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Or. Music
• ASIN: B00008NFAG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,083 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Eastside...

2. Give Me Your Love

3. Get What You Want

4. Could've Done It Better

5. This Type of Funk

6. Pocketful of Soul

7. Remember Love

8. Oakland Zone

9. Life Is What You Make It

10. Happy 'Bout That

11. Stranger in My Own House

12. Back in the Day

13. Page One

14. ...Eastside

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the Zone, April 29, 2003

By 

James L. Venard "PhotoNut" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oakland Zone (Audio CD)

I have to start this review and tell you that I have been a TOP FAN since the 70's. I saw TOP last year twice in concert (Vegas/Phoenix) and I have to say that I did not like the the lead singer (Larry Bragg) as well as some of the past singers (Lenny Williams is my favorite), however, after hearing the CD I was very impressed. He sounds more like Lenny Williams then any other singer in the past. This album revals TOPs strong points of funk, horns, lyrics and arrangements and you can tell that a large label like Sony was not telling them what to do. This CD comes from the soul and not from the wallet. Rocco and DG are back together and driving this band. These two guys go waaaaaaaay back and both of them are 2 of the most unique bass and drummers in the industry. The recoding quality of this CD is also very clean and the mix is wonderful. If you are are TOP fan, you are going to buy this CD regardless of what I say, but if you are new to this band and you like smooth funk and soul, I guarantee that you will be buying all of there other CDs in the near future.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a word: KILLER!, April 23, 2003

By 

Burchie (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oakland Zone (Audio CD)

Tower of Power's 28th CD (according to their Web site) just may be their best ever. This CD marks the return to the studio of legendary T.o.P. drummer David Garibaldi. This is his first studio CD with the band in many years. Garibaldi and bassist Francis Rocco Prestia are unquestionably the best 1-2 punch in music. With Jeff Tamelier on guitar and the great Roger Smith on keyboards, this is about as talented a rhythm section as you will find anywhere in the music business.

Larry Braggs brings a vocal talent to this CD that is absolutely superior! His vocals will invite comparisons to many of the greats, past and present. He has a phenomenal range, especially in the upper registers.

The legendary horn section is as strong as ever with Iron Mike Bogart and Adolfo Acosta handling trumpet/trombone/flugelhorn chores, Stephen "The Funky Doctor" Kupka on baritone sax, newcomer Tom E. Politzer producing some mighty fine solos on tenor and alto sax, flute, and clarinet, and bandleader Emilio Castillo providing 2nd tenor sax and vocals.

In addition, six former Tower of Power members collaborated on this CD: Santana's Chester Thompson, Saturday Night Live's Lenny Pickett, original member Skip Mesquite, Herman Matthews, Brent Carter, and Norbert Stachel. Huey Lewis also contributed to this CD.

The music consists of classic funk grooves and one soulful ballad. The horns are right up front, very crisp, the execution perfect--tighter than a mouse's ear! The rhythm section propels the groove and the instrumental soloists add the icing to the cake, all providing the backdrop for Larry's talented vocals.

This is a powerful in-your-face CD! Ain't no sissy stuff here. Not for wimps! Pure funk and soul as only Tower of Power can do it. On a big stereo, this CD will knock you out!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like eating a ToP Big Mac, Satisfying, no standout moments, January 20, 2004

By 

James Bjork "saxguy007" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oakland Zone (Audio CD)

The reaction of longtime ToP fans to this album (like ToP-crack to a crackhead in 26 years or so of withdrawal) says a lot of where the band has drifted. Namely this album is a welcome tonic to this band's years of wandering in the production desert from the syrupy disco strings of late 70's fare to the corporate synthesizer wasteland of the 80s and 90s. Emilio and Co. opted for a long-overdue trip back to the well that started it all.

This crisp, well-produced/mixed throwback album has some of the tastiest grooves heard from this outfit in DECADES. However, as one other reviewer noted, the actual songwriting lagged well behind the technical precision of the horns and artistry of the rhythm section. The album was a treat to listen to because it delivers the hip grooves and sassy horn licks one expects from ToP. However, the songs all tended to sound undistinguished, with one-chord wonder grooves occasionally daring to depart to the IV and V. Even albums from the lost years like "Monster on a Leash" had at least one song or two (e.g. "A little knowledge") with structure that enabled it to stick in your mind after a listen or two.

Listening to this album was like eating a Big Mac. You order one knowing exactly what you are going to get, but when you finish it, you feel satisfied, but no one bite of your experience stands out as particularly memorable. Like the songs themselves, the individual solos were also tasteful, but generally unmemorable--nothing head-turning like Lenny Pickett on "Knock Yourself Out" (Live in Living Color) or even Jesse McGuire on "Willing to Learn" on the 1998 live album (Soul Vaccination).

All in all, worth the $15 bucks to be sure, but let's all hope the band gets the hint from all this acclaim and cuts another gritty, Hammond B3-loaded album, yet incorporates some fresh songwriting blood. I would love to hear another Urban Renewal, and this is about as close as they have come since then.