Brainstorm – Funky Entertainment (1979)

Album is part of this p-funk series because of Belita Woods' lead/background vocals.

' It's often been said that if an R&B act didn't have a lot of dancefloor appeal in the late '70s, it could forget about being commercially successful. That isn't necessarily true; Frankie Beverly's Maze, just to give one example, was never a dancefloor favorite — and yet, all of its late-'70s albums went gold. Nonetheless, having disco appeal certainly didn't hurt. When Brainstorm's second album, "Journey to the Light", failed to sell, some people reasoned that it was due to a shortage of up-tempo material. So with its third and final album, "Funky Entertainment", the Detroit band decided to go for maximum disco appeal and make up-tempo songs a top priority. While "Journey to the Light" was primarily an album for listening, "Funky Entertainment" is very dance-oriented. In fact, the ballad "You Put a Charge in My Life" is the only thing on the LP that isn't aimed at the dancefloor. Obviously, Brainstorm was hoping for another "Lovin' Is Really My Name" — nothing on this LP is in a class with that hit, although exuberant tunes like "Popcorn," "Hot for You," and "A Case of the Boogie" are mildly catchy, if unremarkable and contrived, examples of late-'70s disco/funk. "Funky Entertainment" wasn't a big seller, but it did enjoy some exposure in dance clubs. At the same time, there were die-hard Brainstorm fans who felt that by neglecting ballads, slow jams, and quiet storm material, the Motor City residents were selling themselves short creatively. And, to be sure, "Funky Entertainment" is the least-essential and least-memorable of Brainstorm's three albums.' Review by Alex Henderson at AMG

Track Listing:
01 - Hot for You {Womack, Woods} 10:41
02 - A Case of the Boogie {Dees} 9:38
03 - Popcorn {Bright, Estus, Gonsalves, Kent, Overton, Simms, Womack, Woods, Wooten} 4:47
04 - Funky Entertainment {Kent, Overton, Woods} 4:14
05 - You Put a Charge in My Life {Mack, Peters} 4:11
06 - Don't Let Me Catch You With Your Groove Down {Gonsalves} 4:44

Personnel:
Chuck Overton: Arranger, Leader, Saxophone, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Woodwind, Soloist
Jerry Peters: Arranger, Conductor, Keyboards, Vocals (bckgr), Producer
Trenita Womack: Flute, Percussion, Piano, Arranger, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Belita Woods: Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Renell Gonsalves: Arranger, Drums
William Wooten: Keyboards
Larry Sims: Horn
Marilyn Baker: Viola
George Bohanon: Trombone
Oscar Brashear: Trumpet
Ron Cooper: Cello
Rollice Dale: Viola
Jay DaVersa: Trumpet
Assa Drori: Violin
Deon Estus: Bass
Jim Gilstrap: Vocals (bckgr)
Pamela Goldsmith: Viola
Jerry Hey: Trumpet
Paula Hochhalter: Cello
Fred Jackson: Woodwind
Paul Jackson, Jr.: Guitar, Sitar
Ray Kelley: Cello
Virginia Majewski: Viola
Harvey Mason, Sr.: Drums
Kenny Mason: Trumpet
Gwen Matthews: Vocals (bckgr)
Nils Oliver: Cello
Greg Poree: Guitar
Maurice Spears: Trombone
Stephanie Spruill: Percussion
Barbara Thomason: Viola
Arthur Tracy: Coordination
Phil Upchurch: Guitar
Ernie Watts: Woodwind
Syreeta Wright: Vocals (bckgr)