"Misled" by Kool & the Gang

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2137
Date:  11/24/1984
Debut:  81
Peak:  10
Weeks:  24
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Kool & the Gang's career hit a bit of a slump a couple years earlier. They had been following a formula set by their producer Eumir Deodato and it just wasn't working any longer. They decided to forge out on their own and the results were good with the ballad "Joanna" scoring well on three charts (#1 R&B/#2 Pop/#2 AC). Having found their footing as producers, they set out to record their next LP, Emergency. It would end up being the best-selling album of their career. This first single got things started. It did well getting to #3 R&B, #9 Dance, and #10 Pop. Their next two singles would do even better.

ReduxReview:  I don't hear this song much anymore and that is too bad. The Gang rocked it up for this one and it paid off. It starts off a bit slow, but once it gets into gear, it's pretty hot. The chorus really makes this song jam and the sound is different for the band. It fits them well and makes me wish they would have explored their rock side a bit more. I'd definitely put this in a list of their best tunes.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Kool & the Gang would reach the peak of their popularity in the UK in the early 80s. From 1979 to 1985, the band scored seven Top 10's there. Later on in 2004, they embarked on a project that had the band revisiting their hits with other artists. The double-disc set, title The Hits: Reloaded, was geared towards the UK market. While there were a few US-based artists featured, such as Ashanti and Blackstreet, several of the artists were from the UK. Spandau Ballet's lead singer Tony Hadley was one of those artists. He performed "Misled" with the band. The collection was released in the US, but it was cut down to one CD. Missing from the set were the songs done by UK artists that didn't necessarily have name recognition in the US. Hadley's contribution was cut as were ones from Beverly Knight, Lulu, Atomic Kitten, and Jamelia.

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