People Just Wanna Have Fun is the twenty-sixth studio album by American funk band Kool & the Gang, released through Astana Music, BFD Records and The Orchard on July 14, 2023. Released to celebrate the band's 60th anniversary, it features the final recordings by Ronald "Khalis" Bell, Dennis "D.T." Thomas and George "Funky" Brown and the group is augmented by several guest vocalists.
Reception Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3 out of 5 stars, with critic Andy Kellman writing that "keeps the energy amiable throughout with a deliberate mix of body movers and romantic ballads" but criticizes the rapping and "wholly unnecessary social media and brand references". At The Arts Desk, Guy Oddy rated this release 2 out of 5 stars, criticizing and praising individual tracks and also noting the "rainbow of colours" that the guest singers bring to the band's sound.
Track listing
Personnel
Kool & the Gang Robert "Kool" Bell – bass guitar Ronald "Khalis" Bell – horns George "Funky" Brown – keyboards, production Dennis "D.T." Thomas – horns Amir Bayyan – guitar, bass guitar Curtis Williams – keyboards, horns Michael Ray – horns Shawn McQuiller – vocals Tim Horton – drums Lavell Evans – vocals Walt Anderson – vocals Rick Marcel – guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Additional musicians Sha Sha Jones – vocals Louis Van Taylor – horns Dominique Karan – vocals Ami Miller – rapping Ole' – rapping
References
External links