Message in Our Music: The Best of the O'Jays

AMG Review of Message in Our Music: The Best of the O'Jays

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

Philadelphia International became a label to match Motown in the 1970s, turning out hit after hit by following a brilliant production formula put together by songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and none of the label's artists were more successful than the O'Jays. By melding contrasts and combining hard, gruff gospel vocals with urbane melodies laid over hard funk rhythms that were tempered with cushioning string sections, Gamble and Huff (and the O'Jays) managed to both hit hard and sound smooth and safe at the same time, a trick that prefigured both the edgier side of disco and modern urban soul. This collection has some of the group's biggest hits, including the delightful "Used ta Be My Girl" and the title tune. Listeners should be aware that the cuts used here of "Back Stabbers," "For the Love of Money," and "Love Train" are all live versions, and not the original singles.