Forgotten gems : “No Sweat” - album by Blood, Sweat & Tears

BS&T had gone through several iterations of band constitutions. Fischer was the third vocalist in 5 years and this, his second album fronting the band, cemented the distinct jazz fusion added recently, but integrated with the soulful and funky trends already there. My understanding is that most did not prefer this direction, but the jazzy stuff ain’t that dominating and this album has a lot to offer, both in experimentation but also in mainstream friendly chunks

It has its fair share of experimentation as stated and this is most notable in the track Inner Crisis. I tend to be sort of bored of most rock/funk and jazz fusion, but BS&T have a certain touch - they keep beat floating and build the experimentation around it. It keeps the flow on the album and fits well with the overall feel of the album

One track stands out to me though, which is Save Our Ship. I am not sure why exactly, because it is kind of generic and steals heavily from Elton John’s early output (think Burn Down The Mission). It just gets to me.

Another one I am fond of is Rosemary, a Randy Newman cover. It is just so positive, soulful and I literally see a band of smiling faces performing this. One of those that just makes you happy and want to get up and jump around.

This is a very underrated album in my opinion, allmusicguide gives it 1 out of 5 stars... a disgrace.