KC & The Sunshine Band

What a seventies nostalgia trip, that band! I downloaded some of their songs after being reminded of them for the unfortunate reason that co-founder Steve Finch (who hasn’t been on speaking terms with KC for 30 years, apparently) has been charged with molesting a bunch of teenaged boys.

But in any case, that led me to think: “hey, I seem to recall their songs weren’t that bad.” So I downloaded some.

And you know, they do have a unique sound even more than I had remembered: sort of a combination of disco, funk, and Latin.

But of course…

*the lyrics are idiotic

*KC just cannot sing at all. It is some of the worst singing in the history of successful popular music

However, the horn arrangements are commendable: always simple, yet crisp and dramatic. And their best songs are all very good grooves.

I think “Boogie Man” is probably my favorite of their songs, though “Shake Your Booty” has the best horn arrangements.

Despite KC’s awful singing, there was a certain unapologetic quality to it that made it workable. Nothing in that voice suggested the quavering tones of someone who doubted if he belonged on that big stage. As a result, he pulled it off despite a pretty bad voice and an awful delivery.