0077778906827. New condition. CD. Hot Chocolate enjoyed an enthusiastic following in England but in the U.S. the British band didn t receive nearly as much exposure as it should have. Regrettably Hot Chocolate only had two major hits in the U.S.: You Sexy Thing in 1975 and Every 1 s a Winner in 1978. That rock-influenced soul gem is the opener on the group s fourth album which is also titled Every 1 s a Winner. Although none of the other songs on this LP were big hits in the U.S. most of them are quite solid -- and that includes the moving ballad Sometimes It Hurts to Be a Friend as well as the message song Love Is the Answer One More Time and the moody Euro-disco number Put Your Love in Me. This is a soul-funk album first and foremost but it s a soul-funk album that isn t afraid to draw on British pop/rock influences like David Bowie and Elton John. Nor were Hot Chocolate afraid to incorporate Afro-Caribbean influences -- Confetti Day for example could be described as an interesting marriage of reggae Bowie and Stax/Volt. While Every 1 s a Winner falls short of perfect it hits its mark more often than not and makes one wish that Hot Chocolate had acquired a larger following on the American side of the Atlantic Ocean. ~ Alex Henderson Rovi