Nightchaser

Because it arrived at the advent of the disco craze, connoisseurs often view The Natural Four’s Nightchaser as the forgotten stepbrother of the group’s earlier sweet soul albums. While it’s true that Nightchaser adapted to a different sound for a different window in soul music history, its best songs are just as memorable within their genre as earlier sweet soul hits were within theirs. The proto-boogie jam “It’s the Music” has a bolt of low end equal to anything by Con Funk Shun or Heatwave, but it also shows how the group adapted its harmonies to the roller-disco era. “Free,” “Night Chaser," and “Get It Over With” find the perfect balance between, say, The Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough.” However, the album’s best song is undoubtedly “How Have You Been”: a greasy disco track with the tempo and temperament of a slow harmony ballad. It inhabits a mood that's as sublimely sweet as it is slightly intoxicated.