Kool & the Gang's penultimate album, and vocalist James "J.T." Taylor's last with the band before he left for a solo career, 1986's Forever marked the group's final Top Ten hit. And, while it was still a slick slab of competent R&B, Forever was a far cry from the driving funk grooves of Kool's earlier material. Having been fully in the grasp of the mainstream since the beginning of the decade, Kool & the Gang popped a further three songs into the Top 20 in late 1986/early 1987. Both "Victory" and "Stone Love" are sharp, synthesized pop, while "Holiday," though heavy on lyrical clichés, is graced by a wonderful bassline -- sorely missed from much of the band's latter-day repertoire. The title track, meanwhile, emerges as an elegant ballad by 1980s standards, while elsewhere the band combines both elements across "Peace Maker" and the melancholy "Broadway," which hides power ballad rock guitars deep in the mix. Long past their classic funk prime, Kool & the Gang were also fast teetering on the precipice of wearing out their pop welcome as well. Despite some rocky moments, best forgotten, Forever remains a competent last hurrah for Taylor, and indeed for the band itself. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
Kendal Stubbs (Programming), Charles Smith (Guitar), Ronald Bell (Saxophone), Robert "Spike" Mickens (Trumpet), Kendal Stubbs (Engineer), Ronald Bell (Engineer), Rick Iantosca (Mastering), Ronald Bell (Keyboards), George "Funky" Brown (Drums), Rick Iantosca (Editing), Kendal Stubbs (Vocals (Background)), Lisa Foster (Vocals (Background)), Khalis Bayyan (Producer), Dennis "D.T." Thomas (Sax (Alto)), Curtis "Fitz" Williams (Keyboards), Alexander Williams (?), Barbara Hernandez (Vocals (Background)), Mark Attalla (?), Clifford Adams (Trombone), James "J.T." Taylor (Vocals), Starleana Young (Vocals (Background)), Robert "Kool" Bell (Guitar (Bass)), Michael Ray (Trumpet)
Forever is an album released by the funk band Kool and the Gang in 1986. While this album did not achieve the level of success that the previous album had, it did include a pair of top ten singles on both the Hot 100 Charts and the R&B Charts with "Victory" (R&B #2, Pop #10) and "Stone Love" (R&B #4, Pop #10). Two further singles, "Holiday" and "Special Way" were also released from the album, and though neither of them fared as well on the pop charts, the former track did reach the top ten on the R&B Charts, and the latter hit performed very well in the Adult Contemporary market.
Track listing
Victory (Bayyan/Bell/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 4:37
I.B.M.C. (Bayyan/Bell/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 4:14
Stone Love (Smith/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 4:37
Forever (Bayyan/Bell/Kyles/Taylor) - 5:03
Holiday (Williams/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 4:12
Peacemaker (Brown/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 4:35
Broadway (Williams/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 3:40
Special Way (Bayyan/Bell/Kyles/Stubbs/Brown/Taylor) - 5:26
God's Country (Culpepper/Kool & the Gang/Taylor) - 5:04
The Best of Kool and the Gang • Kool Jazz • Kool & the Gang Greatest Hits! • Twice as Kool (The Hits of Kool & The Gang) • Everything's Kool & the Gang: Greatest Hits & More • The Best Of Kool & The Gang (1969-1976) • Celebration: The Best Of Kool & The Gang (1979-1987) • Still Kool
