Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Rainbow Funk (1971)

"Take Me Girl I'm Ready" has Junior Walker singing more lyrics than he probably cared to remember, the midtempo jaunt didn't crack the Pop Top 40, but did scoot to number 18 on Billboard's R&B chart. A heavier, funkier groove rocks "Right on Brothers and Sisters" but Motown hid it on the back of "Take Me Girl," a waste of an obvious A-side. Walker sounds like a country preacher on the Crusaders' "Way Back Home" and does an adequate job delivering Johnny Bristol and Gladys Knight lyrics. "Psychedelic Shack" gets a blistering update, and he sounds sweet as sugar on a remake of the Velvelettes' "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You." A rare Walker LP in that he sings more than he plays.