LP Review: Cut the Cake
Released: 1975
LP Charts: #1 R&B (1 week); #4 Pop
After the commercially and critically acclaimed AWB, the Average White Band returned with their third album, Cut the Cake. It had another top 10 pop single, but this album ain’t as good as their previous effort.
There was an understandably sad reason.
The album was recorded in the aftermath of drummer Robbie McIntosh’s death from a drug overdose. Fellow bandmate Alan Gorrie nearly OD’d the same night. The supremely talented Steve Ferrone (who was not white, but Black… there goes the average whiteness) replaced McIntosh. All of that considered, this turned out to be a decent album.
The lead single was “Cut the Cake” (#7 R&B, #10 pop), but the song that shoulda been the big hit was “School Boy Crush”. Oh sure, it did okay (#22 R&B, #33 pop), but it is some of the best trunk funk ever.
Trunk funk has such prodigious bass that your trunk vibrates with reckless abandon.
Anyways, this song doesn’t quite getcha initially. The sleigh bells are indeed cute and the bass and drums are immediately notable. But the groove on this bastard just slowly wraps you up especially when everything stops for a moment… and then the bass just comes thumpin’ its way back into your ear.
Crucially, crucially!, the final minute has some major vocal riffing invoking the ABCs and nursery rhymes as well as some whistling as the song softly lands from nearly five minutes of funkin’.
“It's A Mystery” is a patented AWB mid-tempo ballad with slight touches of faux reggae. “Groovin' the Night Away” tries too hard to have a good time. And “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” closes out the first side as a really good ballad that never quite manages to reach the heights it hints at.
The second side of this LP is when the album really takes a lowkey tone. “Why” is a good song but it barely makes its presence felt. “Cloudy” meanwhile floats in and out without leaving any presence. “High Flyin' Woman” and “How Sweet Can You Get” provide some needed funkiness.
The album closes on “When They Bring Down the Curtain”. The song has the unfortunate lyric “still I go through the motions” which about describes this song and this album.
As a whole, this LP felt like a band cranking out a contractual obligation. Fortunately, the fellas were extremely competent, so even the obligation is generally done above average. But only on “School Boy Crush” do you really get a spark. I’d save this album for last if you’re checking out the classic AWB albums from the 70s.
But it is worth checking out if you’re into the funk.
ALBUM GRADE: C+
Song Scores
Cut the Cake: 7.5/10
School Boy Crush: 9/10
It's A Mystery: 7/10
Groovin' the Night Away: 6/10
If I Ever Lose This Heaven: 7/10
Why: 7/10
High Flyin' Woman: 7.5/10
Cloudy: 5/10
How Sweet Can You Get: 6/10
When They Bring Down the Curtain: 5/10