Inner Life – Inner Life

Does Candido play the hand drums on this album? More words.

Great album, only let down by the Opener ballad "It's You". Why on earth begin a funky disco album with something like that?

In any case, loads of great tracks here, but there are longer versions of some of them on 12" singles, so you may want to seek those out as well.

Inner Life’s first album was released around the tail end of the disco period in the USA. Nevertheless, the stunning title track, “I’m Caught Up In A One Night Love Affair” shook dance floors around the country and the entire album is a classic Patrick Adams production chocker’s full of his trademark quirky arrangements and drenched in strings. By the time this album came out though, disco was a dirty word in the US and it proved a harder sell. It opens with a ballad oddly enough, “It’s You” or “It’s Wonderful” as it’s sometimes known. In the revealing liner notes, singer Jocelyn Brown says it is about a man she was hoping would hear its message. It’s a nice song that shows off her vocals but doesn’t do much for me…I like the grooves! Next up is the single released from it “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” a cover of the classic Ashford and Simpson song. I knew it in its Garage version (which I will write about in a moment) and honestly once hearing that it simply makes this version redundant because it is those extra four minutes and breakdowns that make that song a masterpiece. “Pay Girl” follows and whilst it is bass and piano heavy, the song is only partially effective. It does have some cool synth effects: Adams and Carmichael loved their synths and that gets the song over. “Knock Out (Lets Go Another Round)” is up next and the song is awesome, almost anthemic, full of percussion, rollicking bongos and Jocelyn wailing her lungs out. The bells are cool as they signal the ‘knock out’ portion of the song. “Live It Up” is a high spirited offering that is motivating and whilst good, still fails to match the intensity of the first album. Finally, it ends with “Make It Last Forever”, originally performed by Donna McGhee and they do a decent job of interpreting the song, making it more spacy and it’s a slow, druggy jam that is funky. The bonus tracks on here are impressive: although the “Let’s Get This Thing Together” cut, an unreleased song isn’t overly exciting, it is impressive to see a song that got left off the album as it was so expensive to record albums back in the day one would think they wouldn’t want to waste anything. Now we come to the most essential cut on the album: worth its money for this song alone is the 10 minute opus “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. This song is simply brilliant and deserves its place as one of the all-time disco greats. Full of dramatic strings, drama, breakdowns and build ups, this song transcends you and updates the song in a perfect hedonistic disco style. Brilliant. Then there is the “Make IT Last Forever” Larry Levan mix which just builds on the aforementioned cut but it’s longer and is perfect music to chill to or smoke to or whatever. “Knock Out” is presented in its Garage version, again just lengthening the original version but to great effect. Note that this and the last track are listed the wrong way round on the back cover.
The liner notes are revealing and features Brown talking about the recording process of the album. There are some cool photos inside. Whilst I wouldn’t class this as an essential disco album, it has its moments, and certainly “Ain’t No Mountain” in its Garage version is a must for any serious lovers of disco and boogie fans will get a lot out of the rest of the cuts.