Alex Henderson

Chocolate Milk
Comin' [Expanded Edition]

If someone has even a rudimentary knowledge of the history of New Orleans R&B, chances are that he/she knows the name Allen Toussaint. The veteran producer/songwriter, who celebrated his 75^th birthday on January 14, 2013, has been a fixture in the Crescent City music scene for over half a century—and his songs have been major hits for Lee Dorsey (“Working in a Coal Mine” in 1966), Ernie K-Doe (“Mother-in-Law” in 1961), Chris Kenner (“I Like It Like That” in 1961) and many others. Toussaint, of course, has also worked with plenty of non-New Orleans artists along the way. He co-produced Labelle’s 1974 smash “Lady Marmalade,” and he has even made his presence felt in country-pop: Toussaint’s song “Southern Nights” was a #1 country hit for Glen Campbell in 1977 in addition to soaring to #1 on Billboard’s pop and adult contemporary charts.

Indeed, the 1960s and 1970s were productive times for Toussaint—and one band that he worked with extensively in the mid- to late 1970s was Chocolate Milk. Formed in New Orleans in 1974, Chocolate Milk soon became Toussaint’s studio band—a position previously held by the Meters—and when they launched their recording career, Toussaint produced their recordings with his partner, Marshall Sehorn (who died in 2006).

Chocolate Milk made their recording debut in 1975 with their first album, Action Speaks Louder Than Words, which was released by RCA Records. The title track was chosen as a single and became a #15 R&B hit in Billboard.

Action Speaks Louder Than Words was followed by Chocolate Milk’s self-titled sophomore album in 1976. Later that year, RCA released Chocolate Milk’s third album, Comin’—and that release, like Action Speaks Louder Than Words and Chocolate Milk, was produced by the Toussaint/ Sehorn team. Toussaint’s stamp is all over this album, which is not to say that Chocolate Milk were a typical New Orleans band. Chocolate Milk had a sound that was very much their own. 

It isn’t hard to understand why Chocolate Milk were often compared to another funk/soul outfit from New Orleans: the Meters. Like the Meters, they had Crescent City roots and a strong Toussaint connection. And, to be sure, the Meters were among their influences. But as Comin’ demonstrates, the thing that made Chocolate Milk interesting and unorthodox was the fact that they had both New Orleans and non-New Orleans influences.  The Chocolate Milk sound combined that Meters influence with an appreciation of Tower of Power (who were from Oakland), Kool & the Gang (who started in Jersey City, New Jersey), the Ohio Players (a Dayton band) and Earth, Wind & Fire (who were originally based in Chicago before leader Maurice White’s decision to relocate to Los Angeles).

One thing Chocolate Milk had in common with EWF, the Ohio Players, Tower of Power, Kool & the Gang and so many other funk bands of the 1970s was their love of horns. Chocolate Milk had a killer horn section, and that passion for horns is obvious on energetic, danceable funk jams such as “With All Our Love,” “I Refuse,” “Do Onto Others,” “Starbright” and the title track (which was released as a single and made it to #56 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart). But not everything on Comin’ is aimed at the dance floor. Chocolate Milk’s more laid-back side asserts itself on relaxed medium-tempo grooves that include “Something New,” “Feel the Need” and the Caribbean-tinged “Island Love.” Although Comin’ doesn’t contain any outright ballads, appealing medium-tempo selections are not hard to find. This reissue contains three bonus tracks: the 7” single versions of “Comin’,” “Something New” and “Starbright.”

1976 was a busy year for Chocolate Milk. In addition to offering two albums that year, they were heard as a live band onToussaint’s 1976 album New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. And Chocolate Milk continued to record consistently after that. 1977 saw the release of Chocolate Milk’s fourth album, We’re All In This Together, which contained their biggest hit: “Girl Callin’” (a #14 R&B hit in Billboard).

After that, Chocolate Milk continued to build their catalogue in 1979 with their fifth album, Milky Way. That release contained two minor hits: “Say Won’tCha” (a #39 R&B hit in Billboard) and “Groove City” (which reached #59 R&B in Billboard). Milky Way turned out to be Chocolate Milk’s last album with Toussaint, and they parted company with the Crescent City icon in 1980. That year, Chocolate Milk made another major decision: they opted to leave New Orleans, moving their recording base to Los Angeles and, after that, Memphis. 1980’s Hipnotism was their first post-Toussaint album and their first post-New Orleans album.

1981 saw the release of Chocolate Milk’s seventh album, Blue Jeans, which was recorded in Memphis. Released as a single, the title track became one of their biggest hits and was a #15 R&B single in Billboard. Chocolate Milk’s eighth and last album, Friction, was released in 1982—and in 1983, Chocolate Milk’s nine-year run came to an end when the band broke up. Throughout their recording career, Chocolate Milk stayed with RCA Records.

Chocolate Milk never became a huge name in funk. Despite recording quality albums, they never became as popular or as well-known as 1970s funk powerhouses like LTD, Cameo and the Bar-Kays. The music industry is tough and competitive, and it isn’t uncommon for talented artists to slip through the cracks. But Chocolate Milk did score three Top 15 R&B hits along the way (“Girl Callin’” and “Action Speaks Louder Than Words” with Toussaint, “Blue Jeans” without Toussaint), and they had their share of hardcore followers who were sorry to see them call it quits 30 years ago.

The fact that Chocolate Milk were underrated doesn’t mean that their contributions to funk and soul should be forgotten. Chocolate Milk’s grooves have held up well over time—and this reissue of Comin’ proves that in 1976, they had no problem keeping it funky.

—Alex Henderson, September 2013

Alex Henderson’s work has appeared in Billboard, Spin, Creem, The L.A. Weekly, JazzTimes, Jazziz, Salon.com, AlterNet, Cash Box, HITS, CD Review, Skin Two, Black Beat, The Pasadena Weekly, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE), Music Connection, Latin Style, The New York City Jazz Record and many other well-known publications. Henderson (alexvhenderson.com) has also contributed several thousand CD reviews to The All Music Guide’s popular website and series of music reference books.