Parliament's second album for Casablanca, following
Up for the Down Stroke (1974),
Chocolate City isn't one of the group's better-known albums. Unlike its predecessor and successive albums such as
Mothership Connection (1976), it lacks a signature hit; even though the title track and "Ride On" charted as singles, they're minor in comparison to definitive classics such as "Up for the Down Stroke" and "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)." Though it's not one of the better-known
Parliament albums,
Chocolate City is nonetheless one of their best and perhaps most underrated. There's a wealth of musical talent to be heard here -- most notably
Bootsy Collins,
Bernie Worrell, and
Eddie Hazel -- and an emphasis on horns and harmony vocals. Plus, there's no overarching narrative as there would be on successive albums, occasionally to a fault. Instead, this is a collection of stand-alone songs, none topping the six-minute mark. Regardless of its lack of signature hits,
Chocolate City is a
Parliament album that shouldn't be overlooked. [The 2003 reissue boasts improved sound, new liner notes, and the addition of three songs: the previously unreleased "Common Law Wife," a three-minute, funky soul stomper that sounds a bit like a lost
Curtis Mayfield track, and alternate takes of "If It Don't Fit (Don't Force It)" and "I Misjudged You."] ~ Jason Birchmeier