The Disco Kid

Too much, too soon — those are the only words to describe Van McCoy's second 1975 effort (or third, if you count the 1972 LP that shot into the charts on the heels of his massive, monstrous, genre-defining "The Hustle" single). That said, this rushed set is another slick and highly styled combo of instrumental proto-disco swishes and balladeering. However, coming just six months after Disco Baby topped the charts, the songs here just end up feeling like rehashes, with the title track in particular little more than "The Hustle" in disguise. "Keep on Hustlin'," meanwhile, does just what it implies, and even the funky "Roll With the Punches" is sliced clean through with a "Hustle"-styled chorus. But at the time, moms and dads and clubbers just couldn't get enough of McCoy, and The Disco Kid's Top 20 spot is testament to that. To his credit, McCoy does manage to keep the swings and balances poised with a handful of soulful ballads that focus more on his vocals than on the strings and sighs of America's hottest dance mania. Both "Words Spoken Softly at Midnight" and a cover of "I'm Gonna Love You" are tenderly wrought, proof that even though McCoy may have been cashing in (and who wouldn't), he was still interested in sincerity and was singing for his own enjoyment.