People Just Wanna Have Fun

People Just Wanna Have Fun is the twenty-sixth studio album by American funk band Kool & the Gang, released through Astana Music, BFD Records and The Orchard on July 14, 2023. Released to celebrate the band's 60th anniversary, it features the final recordings by Ronald "Khalis" Bell, Dennis "D.T." Thomas and George "Funky" Brown and the group is augmented by several guest vocalists.^[2]

People Just Wanna Have Fun
Studio album by Kool & the Gang
Released	July 14, 2023 (2023-07-14)
Length	59:32
Label	Astana BFD The Orchard
Producer	George Brown
Kool & the Gang chronology
Perfect Union (2020) People Just Wanna Have Fun (2023)

It's pure, straight-up Kool & the Gang. It's good to put out a wholesome message like ours. There hasn't ever been so much turmoil on this planet—people storming countries, constant mass murders here. There is no better reason to shine our light on people coming together and having fun.

—George "Funky" Brown on recording People Just Wanna Have Fun^[1]

Reception

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3 out of 5 stars, with critic Andy Kellman writing that "keeps the energy amiable throughout with a deliberate mix of body movers and romantic ballads" but criticizes the rapping and "wholly unnecessary social media and brand references".^[3] At The Arts Desk, Guy Oddy rated this release 2 out of 5 stars, criticizing and praising individual tracks and also noting the "rainbow of colours" that the guest singers bring to the band's sound.^[4]

Track listing

1. "Let's Party" (featuring Sha Sha Jones; written by George Brown, Shawn McQuiller, Sha Sha Jones, Wolfgang Aichholz) – 3:21
2. "Movie Star" (Brown, Ami Miller, Jordan Raye) – 3:44
3. "People Just Wanna Have Fun" (Brown, McQuiller, Larry Fergusson, Tim Horton, Jones, Soniq Tolbert, Louis Van Taylor) – 2:30
4. "We Are the Party" (Brown, McQuiller, Aichholz, Amir Bayyan, Khalis Bell, Robert "Kool" Bell, Jermaine Bryson, Horton, Jones, Michael Ray, Shanice Ross, Van Taylor) – 4:13
5. "VIP" (Brown, McQuiller, Lavell Evans, Fergusson, Horton, Miller) – 3:29
6. "Na Na Na" (Brown, Miller, Tolbert) – 2:49
7. "Go Get It" (Brown) – 3:17
8. "Give Love" (Brown, Jonna Knudsen, Raye) – 3:43
9. "I Want It All" (Brown, Mario Dillard, Jones) – 3:31
10. "Heaven's Gift" (Brown, Jones) – 3:47
11. "Obsession" (Brown, McQuiller, Aichholz, Rick Marcel, Raye) – 4:43
12. "For the Woman in You" (Brown) – 3:20
13. "My Weakness" (Brown, McQuiller, Walt Anderson, Evans) – 4:15
14. "That's What I Love About You" (Brown, Jones) – 5:05
15. "99 Miles to JC" (Brown, Clifford Adams, K. Bell, R. Bell, Horton, Dennis Thomas, Van Taylor, Curtis Williams) – 7:51

Personnel

Kool & the Gang

• Robert "Kool" Bell – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Ronald "Khalis" Bell – horns
• George "Funky" Brown – percussion, keyboards, production^[2]
• Sha Sha Jones – vocals
• Dennis "D.T." Thomas – horns

Additional musicians

• Walt Anderson – vocals
• Lavell Evans – vocals
• Dominique Karan – vocals
• Rick Marcel – vocals
• Shawn McQuiller – vocals
• Ami Miller – rapping
• Ole'  – rapping