(October 24, 2019) Considering that they're 50 years into their careers and getting ready to retire, the past 12 months have been very busy for the iconic trio, The O'Jays. Last year they provided a couple songs to the straight-to-DVD Vince Vaughn thriller, Brawl In Cell Block 99, and then followed earlier this year with their excellent CD, The Last Word, which is expected to be their final studio album.
Now, Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and Eric Nolan are returning with a contribution to another low budget action flick from the makers of Brawl, the new Dragged Across Concrete, which stars Vaughn and...Mel Gibson?!?!?. As with Brawl, the soundtrack includes funky instrumentals as well as numbers from the O'Jays and Butch Tavares (of the legendary Tavares quintet).
(October 24, 2019) Considering that they're 50 years into their careers and getting ready to retire, the past 12 months have been very busy for the iconic trio, The O'Jays. Last year they provided a couple songs to the straight-to-DVD Vince Vaughn thriller, Brawl In Cell Block 99, and then followed earlier this year with their excellent CD, The Last Word, which is expected to be their final studio album.
Now, Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and Eric Nolan are returning with a contribution to another low budget action flick from the makers of Brawl, the new Dragged Across Concrete, which stars Vaughn and...Mel Gibson?!?!?. As with Brawl, the soundtrack includes funky instrumentals as well as numbers from the O'Jays and Butch Tavares (of the legendary Tavares quintet).
Unfortunately, while Brawl's soundtrack was a shockingly pleasurable romp, the new disc generally sounds like a batch of outtakes from the prior album. The best song of the bunch is the organ-drenched, upbeat opening number, "Gilded Life of The Rich Man." The oddly titled cut finds the O'Jays in good voice, fronting a track that has the unmistakable aura of the soundtracks that accompanied the rash of low budget cops-and-drugs movies that filled urban theaters in the mid 70s.
The rest of the Dragged soundtrack is pretty forgettable, but we're feeling a bit of nostalgic glee with "Gilded Life." Check it out below and tell us what you think.
By Chris Rizik
The O'Jays - "Gilded Life of the Rich Man"