Delegation
Eau De Vie

1975: Jamaican Balley, having moved to Birmingham, founded Delegation, a group that would frequently change lineup over time. Until '79, it was a slow rise to success—something that was, in fact, more appreciated in the States than in Great Britain. But it was precisely in 1979 that they had a breakthrough, with a change of record label, a larger budget, and the explosion of a new musical vein, rich and fertile: many tracks from this album not only dominated the international disco music scene that year, but influenced its trajectory in the following decade.

The cover is the right prelude to the listen, a elegant and refined dance that you can finally listen to beyond just dancing to it. "You and I" is a perfectly fitting track, one of those pieces you get right only once in a career, with a rhythmic guitar, the absolute queen of a bygone era, so well blended with piano and strings that it would make Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, who had "invented" it, blush. Everything takes on a completely different dance dimension from previous ones—it is indeed a disco product, but a very refined one. The musical globe includes "Stand Up Reach for the Sky," an extraordinary track with horns and rhythm "simply overwhelming", a stunning choral cohesion that accentuates a chorus that so easily enters the auditory systems of a generation. Also included is "One More Step to Take," soft, velvety, voluptuous—a sensual and elegant ballad. And they keep coming: "Heartache No.9," with an incessant rhythm with a good funky flavor, so full of energy, so advanced in arrangement; marching towards success is also "Darlin," already known to the general public as it was a hit single released before the album, with few and simple chords, but so well orchestrated and immersed in a perfect interplay of voices, making it a delectable record that could not be missing in "this lethal sequence" of our Opera.

As could not miss the other singles released before the album, "Put a Little Love on Me," which spread throughout Europe with consistently high chart positions in Italy, Germany, France; an easily catchy dance line, in line with the fashionable standards of the time, and the slow "Welcome to My World," an incredibly sweet track—strings and falsetto voices make everyone, not just those in love, dream.

A precious album, not only significant for the entire '80/'90 decade but recognized among the best 10 works ever created in disco music. Perhaps nothing particularly demanding, just moonshine that intoxicates and makes you feel good.