Show Time

Slave’s excellent 1980 album Stone Jam is one of a handful of LPs that bridged ‘70s funk to ‘80s funk, and by the release of the following year’s Show Time the venerable Ohio-based ensemble had firmly taken hold of the new decade. The grooves are tighter and more sophisticated than ever before, but Show Time, true to its title, is a full-bodied and outgoing affair. Mark Antone Adams’ fat, loose-limbed bass leads every song. “Snap Shot,” “Party Lites,” and “Wait for Me” are bolstered by waves of horns, strings, and percussion, but Adams’ gritty, gutsy playing is the foundation upon which the songs are built. Show Time was drummer-turned-singer Steve Arrington's last album with Slave before going solo, and he makes the most of it. “Steal Your Heart” layers several different tracks of Arrington parts, enabling his keening, cooing voice to duet with itself. As always, he gives the songs an air of sensual intrigue. In the early ‘80s his effeminate, introverted vocals were an R&B anomaly, but he would become a major influence on urban pop singers in the decade to follow.