by Alex Henderson
Creatively, Coke Escovedo bounced back with his third album, Disco Fantasy. This LP wasn't the commercial breakthrough that Escovedo was hoping for-like Coke in 1975 and Comin' At Ya in 1976, Disco Fantasy didn't sell. But from a creative standpoint, the LP is a success. This time, Escovedo is obviously intent on providing a danceable funk/disco party album, and the Bay Area percussionist does exactly that thanks to infectious numbers like &Won't You Gimme The Funk,& &Hot Soul Single& and &Trash Man.& Those who are into irony should appreciate &Doesn't Anybody Want to Hear A Love Song,& which finds singer Linda Tillery (who provides all of the lead vocals) complaining about the shortage of love songs in disco-crazed 1977--the thing is that this very funky track is hardly a love song, and Disco Fantasy is far from an album of romantic ballads. There are a few slow jams on this record, including the pleasing northern soul item &Something Special.& But most of the time, Disco Fantasy takes dead aim at the dance floor and does so with exhilarating results.