Afterbach - Matinee (1981) [Remastered 2007]

A distant star in the Earth Wind & Fire galaxy – and the only album by this sweetly grooving group that owed a lot to the EWF sound! The record's produced by Verdine White, executive produced by Maurice White, and even features a bit of guest vocals by Philip Bailey – and the overall style is sort of in a bouncy 80s groove mode, with a mix of jazzy touches, and warmer instrumentation than you might usually hear on this sort of set. The sound's a lot leaner than Earth Wind & Fire – but carries some of the best modern soul influences of the massive group, and certainly shows some of the best influences of both White and Bailey. Titles include "Ladies Of The 80s", "Wanna Fill You Up", "I Thank Heaven", "It's You", "Wrap It Up", and "Me Myself & I".