The Isley Brothers Featuring Ronald Isley Mission to Please (Island)
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The Isley Brothers hit their stride in the 70s, evolving from a vocal trio into a self-contained, self-produced (for their own label T-Neck) six-piece funk band by adding three younger family members who later broke off to form the group Isley Jasper Isley. The present-day Isley Brothers lineup features original lead singer Ronald Isley, younger siblings Ernie and Marvin, and Ronald’s wife Angela Winbush (formerly of the 80s R & B duo Rene and Angela), who serves as a writer, producer, programmer, and singer.
The group’s influence on 90s black pop is reflected on the “Hot 100” singles chart. The current number one song, Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s “Tha Crossroads,” incorporates the instrumental groove of the 1975 Isley Brothers ballad “Make Me Say It Again Girl.” And Chicagoan R. Kelly’s recent top five hit “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)” features prominent guest vocals by Ronald Isley, who appears in the song’s video. Although half of the ten tracks on Mission to Please boast writing and production credits by current R & B heavyweights R. Kelly, Babyface, and Keith Sweat, the album succeeds mainly on the strengths of Ronald’s trademark sweet falsetto crooning and Ernie’s Hendrix-inspired guitar (Jimi Hendrix actually worked as the group’s guitarist briefly in the mid-60s).
It’s not surprising to find Mission to Please aimed primarily at a black audience. The rock establishment and fans that put the Isleys into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame typically “honor” artists with a history by relegating them to the past. But how many other Hall of Famers could score a high chart debut now with an album of new material? How many even have an album deal? Over the years the Isley Brothers have contributed as well as adapted to changes in pop fashion, holding their own as proficient, inspired entertainers eager to please the audience at hand.
