AMG Review of Slave 88

Ron Wynn
All Music Guide

A good try, but by the late '80s, Slave's brand of grinding, syncopated horn-laced funk was passe in urban contemporary circles. By this time, they had also lost Steve Arrington, Steve Washington, Tom Lockett, Curt Jones, and Starlena Young, effectively stripping them of their guts, vocal core, and creative energy. The new musicians were fine players, but the new Slave didn't have the flair or the gritty drive of its predecessors.