Released: July 1978
First of all, this is one of the greatest album covers ever.
A band whose name was sweet as can be has two frontwomen looking like graceful bad asses with their axes. Janice-Marie Johnson with the bass. Hazel Payne with the guitar. This is fine art.
The band’s other two members were Perry Kibble on keys and Donald Ray Johnson on drums.
Also of fine quality is the actual music on this album, the self-titled debut from A Taste of Honey. Of the nine songs, only one is average. The rest all register as above the board, particularly if you’re into 70s disco, funk, and/or soul.
The album leads off with the titanic single “Boogie Oogie Oogie" that reached #1 R&B and #1 pop in 1978. The song is beautiful in its polite insistence that you get your sorry behind up off the wall and dance. And if you’re “too good to boogie” then “boogie oogie oogie,” Mr. Joe Cool. The song was apparently inspired by the band getting a less-than-warm welcome from an audience on a military base.
A lead bassist and guitarist who are women? The absurdity!
That song is clearly the highlight of the album and would be A Taste of Honey’s signature song, but there’s more good stuff here.
“Distant” and “You” are the two funkiest tracks here reveling in some deep grimy bass. “Disco Dancin’” also has some filthy bass, but as the title implies, it’s leans more toward disco than funk.
On the balladry front things aren’t quite as stellar, but the songs are still fairly good. For example, “This Love of Ours” has a catchy “bay-bee, uh, uh huh, uh huh, huh, bay-bee” hook. The best slow number is “Sky High”, though, which has a vibe matching its title.
“World Spin” merges the funky groove with the ballad feel in a way that fully reveals to you that the Mizell Brothers (Fonce and Larry) were the producers of this LP. The Mizells also did some stellar funky jazz and soul work with Donald Byrd and LTD among others.
ALBUM GRADE: B+
Song Scores
Boogie Oogie Oogie: 9/10
This Love Of Ours: 7/10
Distant: 8/10
World Spin: 8/10
Disco Dancin’: 7.5/10
You: 8/10
If We Loved: 7/10
Sky High: 7.5/10
You’re in Good Hands: 5/10