i don't love it nor do i agree it's great, let alone one of Sly's greatest.

but it's a pleasant listen.

as a general matter i don't like strings in my Funk. i dig what Isaac Hayes did w/full orchestral arrangements on cuts like 'Ike's Mood' and 'Shaft'. and Barry White has several funky uptempo cuts w/string arrangements. but that lil worn out violin all over Small Talk doesn't move me for the most part. except on 'Better Thee Than Me'.