By 1981 the Commodores’ career was waning just as Lionel Richie’s solo debut was about to take off. For Richie’s last album with the group, they touched on all aspects of their work up to that point. “Keep On Taking Me Higher” is tightly-knit club funk and “Why You Wanna Try Me” shows the plucky, loose-limbed style of bassist Ronald LaPread. Meanwhile, “Oh No” and “Lucy” are the kind of piano-driven adult contemporary songs that would help make Richie a huge solo success in the years to come. Though the Commodores were best known for the excitable funk of “Machine Gun” and “Brick House,” they slowed down their grooves at the end of their career, and the sultry “Saturday Night” and “Been Loving You” show how effective the band was when they reduced their riffs to a simmer. In the Pocket is solid all the way through, but it one stone-cold classic stands above the others. Sharp as a crease in a new suit, “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” is one of the definitive singles of the post-disco era.