"Still Kool" by Kool and the Gang

"Still Kool"

New Door Records/2007

www.koolandthegang.com

Along with the cookie cutter mass market pop faire heard on the airwaves today one can still hear songs from previous eras. Among the bands who have returned after many years of absence are those who though older have never stopped making music, one such band is Kool and the Gang. Robert "Kool" Bell and his brother Ronald have been making music since 1964 under various names. Originally called The Jazziacs and later Kool and the Flames, it was a mix up with a club owner that dubbed the band Kool and the Gang. Four decades later a majority of the band's original members are still with the group.

The Grammy winning band first broke onto the hit scene with "Celebration" in 1979. Since then the band has amassed seven gold and platinum albums. And now Kool and the Gang has released a new album "Still Kool". The album is a two disc affair with one CD containing 17 new songs while the other CD holds five of the band's classic hits including the break out song "Celebration".

The new material is the typical Kool and the Gang style of mixing genres. While there are a few songs with beautiful music, the sound heard in hits like "Celebration" and "Ladies Night" is still there. This time around Kool and the Gang have added spiritual feel to some of their songs. But like a fine wine Kool and the Gang have improved with age and in the process have shown shy some of the younger generation are turning to the older bands when music meant something different from what it does today.