After scoring success on both the pop and R&B charts in 1972 with
It's Just Begun,
the Jimmy Castor Bunch knocked out another album in the same vein before the year ended.
Phase Two adheres closely to the previous album's formula, right down to using an orchestral instrumental for its intro and epilogue. As a result, parts of it feel like a re-tread: the standout example of this problem is "Luther the Anthropoid (Ape Man)," which sports a nice groove but is a merely a thinly veiled rewrite of "Troglodyte." Despite some uninspired moments like this,
Phase Two makes up for the problem with tight arrangements and an infectiously funky performance from the band. " "Say Leroy (The Creature From the Black Lagoon Is Your Father)" mixes Latin rock with frenzied funk-rock breaks to create a punchy tune that gave the band another pop hit and "When?" is an effective, fuzz guitar-drenched trip through the woes of ghetto life. The most unusual and interesting of these cuts is "Tribute to Jimi: Purple Haze/Foxy Lady," a novel medley that layers the vocal melody and lyrics of "Foxy Lady" over the tune of "Purple Haze." The album also does well in its softer moments: "Paradise" is a pleasantly harmonized ballad and the band's saxophone-led instrumental take on "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is quite pretty. Overall,
Phase Two lacks the strong crossover appeal and original material that made
It's Just Begun such a standout album, but it will definitely appeal to fans of that album.