Celebrate! marked the end of Kool & The Gang’s hipness as the band transitioned from ultra-smooth funk practitioners to the radio-friendly R&B disco group that shot to the top of the charts with this platinum selling album. Artistic bonafides aside it’s hard to argue with the results– lead single “Celebration” was a smash hit, and is basically legally required to be played at any public gathering with over 25 people (it might be a felony not to play this song if that gathering is a wedding)– but the smooth R&B was a significant departure for a band that started as a jazz fusion group in the 60’s and led a funk revolution in the mid-70’s alongside contemporaries like the outer space traveling Parliament.
All in all Celebrate! is what the name implies– simply a good time.
Standout Songs: “Celebration”, “Take It To The Top”, “Just Friends”
