Too Hot to Stop

by Jason Ankeny The Bar-Kays spent much of 1976 as the opening attraction supporting the Parliament-Funkadelic traveling circus, and the P-Funk influence seeps into every pore of Too Hot to Stop. While lacking the cosmic reach and freak-show genius of George Clinton, this is nevertheless the Bar-Kays' last stab at greatness, delivering hard-driving funk with all the energy and conviction of their classic Stax sides. The grooves here are vacuum-packed, exhibiting the telepathic interplay born solely from years of collaboration. Indeed, the quality of the performances more than makes up for Too Hot to Stop's often pedestrian melodies, although to its credit the band covers a wide stretch of ground spanning from breakneck funk ("Whitehouseorgy") to slow jams ("You're So Sexy") to ballads ("Summer of Our Love").