Day 234: Rufus – Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Another day, another gaping hole in my music knowledge, this time in the form of the legendary ‘70s funk band Rufus. In case you’d ever be at risk of forgetting who the singer is, you could refer to all the alternative names the band has had over the years: Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Rufus & Chaka, Rufus with Chaka Khan, etc. But they’re very right to do it, she’s not just a singer, she’s Chaka Khan.
Album cover courtesy of ABC Records
Formed in 1970, the original line-up of Rufus featured a different singer, Paulette McWilliams, who decided to leave the band in 1972 due to being exhausted from touring and wanting to spend more time with her family. She suggested to the band that they take her very close friend in to replace her, and they reluctantly agreed. Paulette McWilliams stayed on a few weeks to teach her friend the songs, and then she left her to it, and that’s how the band ended up with Chaka Khan.
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan was released in 1975 as the group’s fourth studio album and third studio album with Chaka Khan on the vocals. It sold gold and earned them a hit with “Sweet Thing”, which reached number one on the R&B singles chart and number 6 on the pop chart.
Something I realised while listening to this is that in my head, I seem to associate funk singers with being men. Maybe it’s a more male dominated field, or maybe with my casual part-time dabbling in funk, I just haven’t discovered the lady funk yet. But whatever the reason, it’s nice to hear a woman as a funk band vocalist, and who’s better than Chaka Khan? The woman, the myth, the legend, the excellent answer on the Weakest Link.
That being said, something about it feels a little bit tepid. It’s not the vocals, she’s a powerhouse, and it’s definitely not the band either – as much as I talk about Chaka Khan, the band can’t be praised enough. But there’s still nothing on this album to blow your socks off, it’s just a collection of good songs with nothing really to write home about. It’s enjoyable, but not good enough for me to put it on again. It’s a 7.5/10.