Pockets - Take It On Up [Remastered, Limited Edition] (1978/2011)

Pockets was one of those bands that was supposed to become huge but never did. When Pockets signed with Columbia in 1977, the Baltimore band's supporters insisted that it was destined to become "the next Earth, Wind & Fire." But commercially, Pockets didn't live up to the hype; its biggest hit was the number 17 R&B single "Come Go With Me." Nonetheless, Pockets' material was generally decent and occasionally excellent. Pockets' second album Take It on Up isn't as strong as its predecessor Come Go with Me, but it's still enjoyable. Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine White produced the LP with Robert Wright and, not surprisingly, there's a definite EWF influence on "Happy for Love," "Tell Me Why," and other tracks. But that isn't to say that Pockets was an outright clone of EWF -- as much as its members admired EWF, Pockets had a recognizable sound of its own. Anyone playing Take It on Up next to an EWF album would have no problem telling the bands apart. Unfortunately for Pockets, this LP didn't contain any major singles and was only a modest seller.