Isley Brothers ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Performance’ Puts ‘Hump’ Back in ‘Humpday'

Times are tough all around, but whoever scheduled the latest episode of NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert made a valiant attempt to put a little boogie back in our steps by bringing funk, soul and disco legends The Isley Brothers into our homes, from theirs.

Filmed at the group’s home studio in St. Louis, Missouri, the four-song set that began streaming Wednesday morning, attempted to put the hump back in Humpday, as the Isleys opened with their classic bed burner “Between the Sheets” before moving on to “Footsteps in the Dark” followed by 70s classic “For the Love of You” and closed out the set with a showstopping version of “That Lady.”

Along the way the Isleys shared stories about the songs and made several callouts to the legion of popular artists who have sampled them, including Ronald Isley (aka Mr. Biggs) opening “Between the Sheets” with, “I like it when you call me Big Poppa,” in a nod to the late Notorious B.I.G. who sampled the song in his breakthrough hit. 

While the runtime on the concert is just under 13 minutes it stands as an adequate reminder of the power, poise and talent of this iconic band which has been putting out hits for nearly seven decades.