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As the Muscle Shoals Horns, trumpet player Harrison Calloway, sax player Ronnie Lee Eades, trombonist Charles Rose, and sax player Harvey Thompson had been playing together since the mid-1960s. Over that timeframe they literally supported thousands of artists. which makes it interesting to realize 1976's "Born To Get Down" was their first true solo effort. And talk about a debut ...

Produced by Barry Beckett and backed by the cream of Muscle Shoals studio talent, this set was a complete surprise. Who would have expected a horn-based outfit to debut with so much enthusiasm; let alone so many great songs - at least half of the tracks were worth hearing more than once? With Calloway handling lead vocals on a number of tracks and credited with penning the majority of material, about half of the album was simply terrific and had they avoided the dreaded trap of disco banality (things like the throwaway 'Get It Up'), the rest of the album could have been equally impressive.

- Built on a funky Ken Bell guitar riff and showcasing Thompson's flute, the instrumental 'Open Up Your Heart' sounded a bit like something that had been penned for a television theme song - extremely punchy and commercial. rating: **** stars
- Breakdown found the group adding a rawer funky edge to their sound with a blazing Bell lead guitar solo and an extended Eades sax solo taking the spotlight. Damn, these guys could rock. rating: **** stars
- Showcasing Calloway on vocals, 'Where I'm Coming From' was a slinky bluesy ballad with a surprisingly confrontational slice of social commentary ... Not exactly what you'd expect from an interracial outfit from Alabama ! You'll have to listen to the song ti get the message. rating: **** stars
- 'Hustle To the Music' was the first mild disappointment with the band dabbing their collective toes into a hybrid of disco and New Orleans funk. Compared to the other tracks it just didn't rank. rating: *** stars
- A slinky disco-tinged ballad, 'Who's Gonna Love You' was actually a disco song for people who didn't like disco. Given what a great voice he had, you were left to wonder why Calloway didn;t make greater use of his gift. rating: **** stars
- As if you couldn't tell from the title, 'Bump De Bump You Boogie' was a mindless slice of Kool and the Gang-styled dance music. Mindless, but throwaway fun ... rating: *** stars
- 'Born To Get Down (Born To Mess Around' found the band diving into hardcore funk; nah it wasn't quite George Clinton-styled material, but it was still pretty hardcore. Nice groove with some cheesy synthesizer flourishes and punchy horn charts, but not essential. rating: ** stars
- Probably the album's least impressive effort, 'Get It Up' was mindless disco with one redeeming feature; namely some nice fuzz lead guitar from Ken Bell. Otherwise it sounded like Calloway was pleasuring himself. Not a pretty picture. rating: * star
- 'Give It To Me' saw the album end with a strange choice - namely a J. Geils Band cover. Showcasing Calloway in an uncomfortable falsetto and some group vocals over a lite reggae tinge, their arrangement wasn't all that different from the original which left you wondering why they bothered. rating: ** stars ~BadCatRecords

Tracklist:

A1    Open Up Your Heart        
A2    Break Down        
A3    Where I'm Coming From        
A4    Hustle To The Music        
A5    Who's Gonna Love You        
B1    Bump De Bump Yo Boodie        
B2    Born To Get Down (Born To Mess Around)        
B3    Get It Up        
B4    Give It To Me