Fresh
Coming as it did on the heels of the utterly whackedThere's a Riot Goin' On, 1973'sFreshsurprised a lot of Sly fans by actually living up to its name. The weariness and paranoia ofRiotare totally missing in action, replaced by a relaxed optimism that seems to shine from every note of tracks like "If You Want Me to Stay" and "In Time." The band--newly buttressed by the rhythm section of Rusty Allen and Andy Newmark--plays it loose and funky, and Sly's oddball sense of humor resurfaces on a cover of Doris Day's "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)." Sadly, Sly would never again make a record even half as fresh asFresh.--Dan Epstein