
A set, primarily, of two halves, "Winner Takes All" scored highly on both levels. The title song, "It's A Disco Night" and "(Can't You See) What You Do To Me" are classic 70s Isley Brothers at their best, and still get the old blood pumping when the volume is pumped up. It's the ballads that grab my attention though...the dreamy and spaced out beats of "Let's Fall In Love" pair Ronald Isley's angelic voice with Marvin Isley's laid back guitar work and the result is that I sit back in the chair and simply melt. There is real tenderness here and in the right company could prove the right ingredient to get some real magic made. This is but one of many truly memorable ballads. Unlike my local bus service, you don't have to wait long for the next one to come along. Following this is a devastatingly simple yet deeply erotic ballad "How Lucky I Am (Parts 1 and 2)" with a rich, deep and horny bassline, distant and wistful electric guitar and Ronald doing what he does best. Simply magic. See? Who needs the ridiculous Mr. Biggs moniker when there is some real talent in the first place? The real show-stopper as far as I am concerned is the heartfelt and beautifully segued "You're The Key To My Heart" and "You're Beside Me". On both tunes the tempo is up a notch and the guitar is summery to the extreme. This is another song that makes me close my eyes involuntarily. Simply essential and as beautiful today as it ever was. The tempo ups again with two funkier tunes, "Let Me Live In Your Life (Parts 1 and 2)" and "Go For What You Know", both of which are spot on. This, too, is dirt-cheap on CD and on iTunes, so there's no excuse for harbouring dusty old vinyl that takes up space!