Earth, Wind & Fire (album)

Earth, Wind, & Fire is the debut album by the group Earth, Wind & Fire. The lineup here is quite different from the one that became famous during the mid-1970s. This edition of the group would be disbanded after their second album, and replaced by a lineup that included some but not all of the members who were present during the group's greatest success. The music on this album is much rawer and tougher than most of what the group later became famous for. The vocals are very much a collaborative effort. Leads are freely traded, and many lines are sung by multiple voices. Leader Maurice White, who would front later editions of the group, is content to stay behind the drums here, blending his vocals with the rest. Young Leslie Drayton, who would later gain respect as a jazz man, does a good job with the horn arrangements. The songs are all fairly solid. The best song is the anthemic "Love is Life". This was a modest hit for the group.