Love is the mission and message on The O’Jays final album, The Last Word. The legendary group comprised of Eddie Levert Sr., Walter Williams Sr. and Eric Nolan Grant feels fresh and nostalgic at the same time as they take on the thrills of innocent love from yesteryear and the sociopolitical metal clouds of today.
The group previously released the lead single “Above The Law,” a righteous track that highlights the state of the nation to a tee. The rest of The Last Word is noticeably lighter with songs like “Do You Really Know How I Feel” and “Enjoy Yourself” bringing out the flower power child in all of us. The latter of the tracks bridges today’s funk and soul rhymes as it was co-written by Bruno Mars and Patrick Monahan of Train.
“I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today),” a reworked version from the 1967 album Back On Top closes out the album gently, embodying their full circle journey.
But the party isn’t over for The O’Jays. On Tuesday (April 23), the group will perform their new single “Stand Up (Show Love)” on the TODAY show in New York.
Stream The Last Word below.