Raydio

• Raydio [Arista, 1978] A-
• Rock On [Arista, 1979] B+

See Also:

• Ray Parker Jr.
• Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio
• merge all

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Raydio [Arista, 1978]
In a depressing time for readymades, here at last is a group--led by a session ace, no less--that seems delighted enough with the tricks it's stolen to put them together with some flair. This trails off into filler on side two, but I like five of its eight songs more than the smash hit "Jack and Jill." Black pop music like they've almost stopped making. A-

Rock On [Arista, 1979]
Ray Parker's idea is to synthesize the old black-music tradition of the male vocal group with the new one of the self-contained funk band, and here he proves that he has what it takes as a composer to keep the idea going. None of these songs stands out like "Is This a Love Thing" and "Me" did on the debut, but every one is danceable/listenable fun. B+