The Undisputed Truth - Higher Than High (1975)

Higher Than High expands on the spacy vibes first exhibited on Down to Earth, expanded on via Cosmic Truth, and maximized on this, their exit album from the Gordy/Motown family of labels. Members, Joe Harris, Calvin Stevens, Tyrone Berkeley, Tyrone Douglas, and Virginia McDonald bend your mind on a set that's comparable to critically acclaimed Funkadelic albums of the same period. "Life Ain't So Easy," asung by Joe and Virginia, is a haunting ballad about the perils of big city life; "Poontang" probably shocked Berry Gordy Jr. out of his mansion the risqué chorus goes "I used to hate it, til I ate it." "Help Yourself" is the best rocker on the set; this version is different from an earlier version they recorded. And I can't imagine what type of dance you would do to "Boogie Bump Boogie," a psychedelic groover performed at laser speed. "I Saw You When You Met Her" is an eerie ballad about a woman who caught her man cheating; nice, but I like David Ruffin's version off the Me & Rock n Roll are Here to Stay album better. "I'm In the Red Zone" compares sexual frustration to a jonesing junkie. A nice parting shot for the group and Norman Whitfield.