It's Our Thing

Released

It’s Our Thing was The Isley Brothers’ first post-Motown album from on their resurrected T-Neck label and was their inital step on a musical journey that would lead them to massive mid-70s crossover success. The material ranges from hard-hitting R’n’B and funk, to unabashed soulful balladry with way more variety than their Motown output. The uncredited inclusion of younger brothers Marvin on bass and Ernie on guitar — they would later officially join along with Isley brother-in-law Chris Jasper on keys — was the root of their rawer, guitar-driven sound on It’s Our Thing’s uptempo tracks, highlights including their R’n’B juggernaut of a hit “It’s Your Thing,” sound-a-like “I Know Who You’ve Been Socking It To” or the James Brown-esque “Give The Women What They Want.” It’s Our Thing is the sound of a band at the start of a several-album-long journey to their classic period. 

Harold Heath