Hot On the Tracks is one of a handful of mid-Seventies R&B albums that bridge the funk era and the disco era. By this point, the Commodores had honed their sound to the point where every riff is a seamless blend of horns, strings, and hard-hitting rhythm. Each song is a gift-wrapped package of pop funk, delivered with a bow on top. “Let’s Get Started,” “Fancy Dancer” and “Come Inside” are triple threats — they appeal equally to disco dancers, funk diehards, and radio fans. Lionel Richie’s “Just To Be Close To You” is one of the band’s best ballads, while “Girl, I Think the World About You” is a beautiful slice of laid-back disco that almost abandons funk completely. As if to compensate, the back end of the album is loaded with some of the Commodores’ last hard funk tracks. “Thumpin’ Music” and “Captain Quickdraw” are all about low-end heft, while “Can’t Let You Tease Me” exemplifies the band’s plucky, popping interaction. Subsequent albums would find the group parlaying Richie’s songwriting talents into crossover success, making Hot On the Tracks the last hurrah for the early Commodores.