Disco was at the height of its popularity in 1979, when
Earth, Wind & Fire responded with its most disco-influenced single ever, the glossy and infectious "Boogie Wonderland." Up to that point,
EWF had pretty much ignored disco, and when the band finally acknowledged the style, the soulsters weren't about to inundate listeners with it. "Boogie Wonderland" (which features
the Emotions, a female group for whom
Maurice White had been producing major hits) isn't representative of
I Am on the whole. From the hit ballad "After the Love Has Gone" to the exuberant "Let My Feelings Flow,"
I Am isn't a radical departure from its predecessor,
All 'n All. Though not in a class with
That's the Way of the World,
Spirit, or
All 'n All,
I Am is a rewarding album that has a lot going for it.
–
Alex Henderson, Rovi