After a brief stint on
Curtis Mayfield
's
Curtom Records
in 1975 which yielded the number one pop hit "Let's Do It Again,"
the Staple Singers
entered into a deal with
Warner Bros
. Shortening their name to
the Staples
,
Pops
Mavis
Cleotha
, and
Yvonne
decided to continue their relationship with
Mayfield
, asking him to produce their first
Warner
effort, 1976's
Pass It On
. While the album lacked a surefire hit like its predecessor, it continued to blend the group's signature gospel sound with soul, R&B, pop, and disco. Standout track "Sweeter Than the Sweet" is a classic uptempo gospel/soul rave-up featuring some of group's strongest vocals, and the title track features a deep, soulful groove courtesy of
' and
's dueling guitars and the impassioned vocal interplay between
and
. While
would never again reach the upper echelons of the pop charts,
is a solid release by a veteran group who could produce classic soul music like no one else. ~ Timothy Monger