When synthesists Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware left the Human League in 1980, the decision seemed iffy; after all, the League appeared on the way up and would achieve global fame the very next year with Dare!. The first album from Heaven 17, Marsh and Ware's new trio with singer Glenn Gregory, wasn't greeted with quite the same commercial kudos when released in 1981, but it turned out to be an important outing nevertheless. Picking up where Kraftwerk had left off with The Man Machine, the group created glistening electro-pop that didn't skimp on danceable grooves or memorable melodies. What set Heaven 17 apart was the well-deep vocals of Gregory, who managed the difficult trick of sounding dramatic without seeming pretentious, and an overtly left-wing political outlook best expressed on the debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang." Other standout combinations of witty lyrics and whiplash electro-grooves include "The Height of the Fighting" and "Play to Win," while the funky title track draws on American R&B for its popping bassline. Despite the catchy material, chart success proved somewhat elusive; the group didn't score a major hit until their next album, 1983's The Luxury Gap. Nevertheless, Penthouse and Pavement stands as one of the most accomplished debuts of the '80s.© Dan LeRoy /TiVo

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The double-CD set that No Limit godfather Master P envisioned as his final solo album, MP da Last Don was greeted with reams of press clippings by the media and open arms by the public, who sent it to 112 on the charts, the week before it was scheduled to be released. All this means is that Master P's master business plan worked -- he was able to position himself as the leader of the underground just to sell records. And there's no other way to view MP da Last Don; it's nothing but product, albeit well-made product. Spanning two CDs and 29 songs, the album is more of an advertisement for upcoming No Limit releases than a last will and testament. All of the No Limit roster appears somewhere on the disc, and info about upcoming releases (some of which have been in development for a year and a half) litters the liner notes. Master P himself makes his presence felt only because the formula MP da Last Don follows is one he invented. If you've ever heard a No Limit record, you'll know what to expect -- cribbed hooks, predictable bass grooves and drum loops, the standard gangsta lyrical clichés. The law of averages dictates that there will be a few passable tracks on an album this size, but there is no variety here at all -- you could start the album at any point and feel like you've heard it all before. So, Da Last Don isn't a grand final statement from Master P, though its crass commercialism and blatant hucksterism offer as accurate a summation of Master P's career as anyone could hope.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

An industry veteran who first got his start as a session player for pop artists in the '80s, smooth jazz saxophonist Steve Grove (aka Euge Groove) marks his 16th year as a solo artist with his tenth studio album, 2016's Still Euge. This is Groove's fifth album for Shanachie, following 2014's Got 2 Be Groovin', and once again finds him handling the production duties. The result is a laid-back album with Groove's supple saxophone guiding the listener on a journey that never feels rushed. These are lush, if economic arrangements, built around light percussion rhythms, sinewy basslines, and a liberal mix of piano and keyboard. Cuts like the lead-off "Twelfth Night" and the finger-snapping "Let's Chill" are classic instrumental Euge numbers, while the sensual Groove-penned ballad "Love, Passion and Joy," sounds pleasingly like a relaxed smooth jazz take on Lenny Kravitz's "It Ain't Over 'til it's Over." Elsewhere, Groove showcases the talents of several guest artists, bringing guitarist Chuck Loeb on board for the bluesy title track and letting guitarist Peter White add his sparkling color to the sultry slow jam "Another Perfect Moment." Also welcome is singer Rahsaan Patterson, who lends his urbane vocal talents to the '90s-style R&B of "Much Love." Similarly, vocalist Oleta Adams adds some weighty resonance to the latter half of the album with her languid turn on the romantic "Flower." A warmly produced album that touches upon all of Groove's trademark sounds from soulful balladry to instrumental R&B jams, Still Euge is a more than apt title. © Matt Collar /TiVo

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Covering three discs and including all the hits, as well as a healthy selection of rarities, The Eternal Dance is not designed for the casual listener; only hardcore fans will remain enthralled through the numerous rarities. Most listeners will be content with the two greatest-hits collections, but this comprehensive box set remains essential for hardcore Earth, Wind & Fire fans.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Following an unsatisfying three-year stint at Mercury Records, Chuck Berry returned home to Chess in 1969, just like Phil Chess predicted. Heading home didn’t necessarily mean retreating, as the four-disc Have Mercy: His Complete Chess Recordings 1969-1974 illustrates. During his time at Mercury, Chuck followed the kids wherever they went, aligning himself with the psychedelic ‘60s in a way none of his peers did. This shift is immediately apparent on “Tulane,” the very first song he cut upon his return to Chess. An ode to a couple of kids who dealt dope underneath the counter of a novelty shop, “Tulane” puts Chuck on the side of the counterculture, and over the next five years, he never strayed back to the other side of the fence, often singing about getting stoned, dabbling with a wah-wah pedal, rhapsodizing about rock festivals, cheerfully telling smutty jokes. All these elements, along with his propensity for playing with pickup bands -- he cut 1971’s San Francisco Dues with amiable garage rockers the Woolies outside of Lansing, MI, and roped Elephant's Memory into the studio to knock out much of 1973’s Bio -- defined the last act of Chuck’s career. But the big difference between the five years documented here and what came afterward is that Berry was still active as a writer and record-maker during the first years of the ‘70s, conscious of his legacy but not encumbered by it, still attempting to graft new fads onto his three-chord boogie while spending more and more time playing the blues and ballads of his youth. Have Mercy chronicles all of this and more, putting his final Chess recordings into CD circulation for the first time, and adding 22 unreleased cuts to the mix. If there are no major revelations among this unheard material there are at least minor ones in the form of a studio version of “My Ding-A-Ling,” which is lighter in touch and marginally more charming than the live hit, and the preponderance of loose, instrumental blues jams culminating in an extended studio version of “Turn on the Houselights,” the song he used to play toward the end of concerts. All these blues -- and there are many with vocals, too, including a very good take on Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom” and a ripping live version of Big Joe Turner’s “Roll ‘Em Pete” -- find Berry coasting somewhat, preferring to rework standards instead of write new ones, which is a sentiment that also applies to how “My Ding-A-Ling” re-jiggers Dave Bartholomew’s song, but Chuck always did turn blues tropes into something of his own, so what’s new is how infrequently Berry was writing during this final stretch. The originals may not have flowed freely, but he did pen a handful of classics: “Tulane,” its slow sequel “Have Mercy Judge,” the dreamy spoken poem “My Dream,” and the cracking autobiography “Bio” all belong in his canon. But the thing about Have Mercy is that it proves that an artist as great as Chuck Berry has pleasures that lay outside the canon, that his sly touch invigorates classics from “Jambalaya” to “Swanee River Rock”; that it’s good to hear him just lay back and riff, that there’s a delight in hearing him affect an absurd Mexican accent on “South of a Border.” Sure, these are pleasures only for the committed, but in light of the lack of new recordings following this -- just 1979’s Rock It, which did produce the minor classic “Oh What a Thrill” -- it’s easier to cherish this music for the minor, yet lasting, pleasures it provides.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo