Got To Be Enough
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Album Summary
Con Funk Shun, the Memphis-rooted funk and R&B outfit led by the incomparable Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate, laid down 'Got To Be Enough' in 1980 on Mercury Records — and baby, this was a group that knew exactly who they were. Self-produced, as was their custom, the band brought that same hands-on mastery to the studio that had been driving their sound since the late seventies. Recorded right at the crossroads where the raw fire of classic funk met the smoother, more refined textures of early eighties R&B, this album captured Con Funk Shun in a moment of confident transition — holding tight to their live-instrument soul while the music world around them was shifting like sand. Mercury had a jewel on their roster, and 'Got To Be Enough' stands as proof that this group was not about to let a changing landscape dim their shine.
Reception
- The album performed respectably on the R&B charts, consistent with Con Funk Shun's established standing as a reliable and beloved presence on the Black music charts throughout this era.
- The title track drew meaningful attention from R&B radio, keeping the group's dedicated fanbase locked in even as synthesizer-driven sounds began creeping into the mainstream conversation.
- Critical reception within the R&B and funk community was generally warm and favorable, though the album did not make significant inroads into mainstream pop crossover territory.
Significance
- 'Got To Be Enough' stands as a testament to Con Funk Shun's unwavering commitment to live-instrument funk at a moment when disco's collapse was pushing many acts to abandon their roots and chase the next trend.
- The album occupies an important place in the group's early eighties body of work, serving as a musical bridge between the golden era of seventies funk and the polished, refined R&B production aesthetic that would define the new decade.
- As part of Mercury Records' storied R&B roster, this record documents a pivotal chapter in the evolution of funk-soul acts who were navigating shifting radio formats and changing audience expectations with grace and authenticity.
Tracklist
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A Got To Be Enough 123
3:30
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B Early Morning Sunshine 89
3:08
Artist Details
Con Funk Shun was a smooth, silky funk and soul machine that came up out of Vallejo, California in the early 1970s, a group of young cats who spent years grinding on the road before landing with Mercury Records and laying down some of the baddest grooves the decade had to offer. Led by the charismatic Michael Cooper, they blended deep funk with lush R&B sweetness, giving the world certified classics like Fun and Ffun and Too Tight that had everybody from the house party to the roller rink moving like they had no choice. They stand as a proud pillar of the West Coast funk movement, proof positive that California had just as much soul in its bones as anywhere else on the map, and their influence can still be felt rippling through the DNA of modern R&B and hip-hop production.
