Music Reviews

Masters At Work

Our Time is Coming

MAW / Tommy Boy

I don’t know who the hell “Little” Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez are trying to fool with that title – because their time has been here forever and probably isn’t going to stop any time soon. Hell, these guys have been ruling house since the advent of private property. And, well, it’s kind of showing. Every one of these jams is cool and danceable (especially the title track with Roy Ayers and “Pienso En Ti (I Think of You)” with Luis Salinas) and they switch it up with the winning soca cut, “Work,” and their explosive tribute to Fela, “MAW Expensive”; but one cannot help feeling that we and they have been through this before – which may suggest a little elongation of the tooth. Just take a look at some of their fellow employees (the aforementioned Ayers, India, James Ingram, Stephanie Mills, and Patti Austin), and you start to wonder how we can spell “Old School” without the M, the A, and W. This is definitely not as inspired as their Nuyorican Soul incarnation. Though this is an enjoyable album, I can’t help speculating on the possibility of time slipping away from Vega and Gonzalez.

MAW Records: http://www.mawrecords.com • Tommy Boy Music: http://www.tommyboy.com • Masters At Work: http://www.mastersatworkinc.com


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