Critical Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Robert Christgau | B |
| Virgin Encyclopedia | |
Upon its release, The Heat Is On received positive reviews from music publications such as The Village Voice, Melody Maker, and Rolling Stone. In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B rating, indicating "an admirable effort that aficionados of the style or artist will probably find quite listenable". Christgau described the music as "well-nigh flawless" and stated "Ronnie Isley isn't getting any less unctuous". Rolling Stone's Bob Palmer wrote favorably of the Isley Brothers' dance music sensibilities and cited The Heat Is On as "some of the best body music around". Palmer also praised guitarist Ernie Isley and his contributions to the album.
Since its initial reception, music critics have cited the album as among the Isley Brothers' best work. Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters praised Ronald Isley's interpretive skills and balladry, stating "Whereas the up-tempo workouts helped the Isley’s reach new audiences, it was their balladry, courtesy of lead vocalist Ronald, that distinguished them among other soul/R&B/funk bands of the era." In 2001, the album was reissued on compact disc by Epic Records with a live bonus cut of "Fight the Power".
Read more about this topic: The Heat Is On (album)
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