Search - Rufus, Chaka Khan :: Very Best of

Awesome but too brief

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 08/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This straight reissue of the 1982 collection has no surprise choices in its linep. All ten tracks were top 10 R & B hits. Be it the oh-so funky "Tell Me Something Good" and "You Got The Love" or dance floor fillers like "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" and "Once You Get Started," touching tales such as "Hollywood" and "Please Pardon Me" or the steamy ballads "Stay" and "Sweet Thing," all of the enclosed tracks are great.My only complaint is that this collection did not offer more tracks when it was reissued on CD - in particular the lush "Sharing The Love" (their only other top ten hit). With first rate musicianship and a stellar lead vocalist in Chaka Khan, this set is long enough however to show why Rufus was one of the top bands of the '70s. Also, that they were far more than just Khan's launching pad."

Funky seventies music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the sixties there was a group called American breed, best remembered in America for Bend me shape me. They didn't chart in Britain but Bend me shape me did - it was covered by Amen corner. American breed disbanded but some of its members went on to form a new group - Rufus. However, it was after one further change, the replacement of the original lead singer with Chaka Khan, that Rufus had their greatest success.In this new formation, Rufus had a string of top ten hits on the American R+B charts, many of them featured here. They actually scored a UK top ten top hit in 1984 with Ain't nobody but it is not included here.While I generally prefer Chaka Khan's solo music, there is no denying the quality of the music she recorded with Rufus - a mix of excellent ballads and funky songs to dance to.If you enjoy seventies R+B with a funky groove, or you enjoy Chaka Khan's solo music, you are likely to enjoy this."

Exceptional Lead Singer, First Rate Band On 70s Hits Set

Anthony G Pizza | FL | 04/25/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Female singers in a duo or group fit a consistent pattern. They seem dominated at first by musical producers or collaborators, yet command all attention to the point where when they inevitably leave for solo work, they take the group's identity. Examples abound: Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Cher, Gloria Estefan, Annie Lennox, Natalie Merchant; none of the groups or song partners here achieved any solo success without them. (This cannot be said for the less successful solo ventures of Prince protoges Appolonia and Vanity.)Yet Rufus (later Rufus featuring Chaka Khan), here with their brief but exciting greatest hits collection, show themselves to be a cohesive band blessed with a dynamic lead singer. Make no mistake, Chaka's vocals sling around party grooves like "At Midnight" and "Once You Get Started," and mid-tempo ballads like "Hollywood" and "Stay" with passionate skill equalling Aretha at her peak. But Rufus, led by guitarist/vocalist Tony Maiden, keyboardist Kevin Murphy and sax man David Wolinski (who co-wrote and produced several tracks) also authored the group's groundbreaking rock/R&B hybrid. Listen to the rubbery funk of Stevie Wonder's "Tell Me Something Good," or the gentle electric piano opening "Sweet Thing" and know that Rufus wanted, and briefly achieved, true R&B/rock/pop crossover success.Chaka would work with the best after her solo career began in 1978: David Foster, Arif Mardin, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Prince. But her collaborations within, not in front of, Rufus produced the most satisfying music of her career. At least one diva, Diana Ross, decided to rejoin her fellow Supremes for a summer tour; Chaka would do no worse bringing Rufus back for another round. Recommended set."