A really well-done collection of work by Randy Crawford – one that not only gets at that unique place she holds in soul music, but also one that shows just how much she kept growing as the years went on! Randy's voice was maybe first exposed to folks for her famous work on The Crusaders' "Street Life" – but even before that, she was emerging as one of the elite in a new generation of sophisticated soul singers – equally well-skilled in jazzy expressions and soulful styles, and able to bring a new level of maturity to the music from the late 70s onwards! This great package traces Randy's growth as a solo artist over the course of many albums for Warner Brothers – and also includes some duets, live material, and compilation cuts – really getting at the importance she held in the field at the time. There's a whopping 57 tracks on 3CDs, complete with a big booklet of notes – and titles include "Don't Wanna Be Normal", "Blue Flame", "I Stand Accused", "Same Old Story", "Tender Falls The Rain", "Gonna Give Lovin A Try", "Ain't No Foolin", "Everything Must Change (live)", "Street Life (edit)", "When Your Life Was Low", "One Day I'll Fly Away", "Time For Love", "Your Precious Love (live with Al Jarreau)", "Windsong", "We Had A Love So Strong", "Imagine (live with Yellowjackets)", "All It Takes Is Love", "Single Woman Married Man", "Last Night At Danceland", "Just A Touch", "He Reminds Me", "Knockin On Heaven's Door", "Almaz", "I Let You Walk Away", "Bottom Line", "Cigarette In The Rain", and lots more! ~ Dusty Groove.
An incredible run of music from Dionne Warwick – and a set of work that's very different than the Burt Bacharach material from the 60s, which his how most people know Dionne! These tracks are nicely different, and mark Warwick as a hell of a soul singer in the best 70s tradition – stepping into some great new territory at Warner Brothers, in a way that opens up her sound, makes her sound more mature, and really pushes past some of the Bacharach territory – great in its time, but getting a bit stale until Dionne changed things up with these tracks! Bacharach is still part of the proceedings at times, but comes across in a nicely different way – and Dionne also works with legendary soul producers, including Thom Bell and Holland-Dozier-Holland – both studio forces who really change things up. The set features all the full albums, plus lots of bonus tracks too – a massive 86 tracks, with albums that include Dionne, Just Being Myself, You Are A Song (73/74 Sessions), Then Came You, Track Of The Cat, and Love At First Sight – plus bonus tracks too! ~ Dusty Groove.
Howard Hewett may have came a bit late on the scene in 80s soul – but by the end of the decade, he really left his mark – as you'll hear on these four classic albums, served up with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is I Commit To Love – an 80s classic from Howard Hewett, and just the kind of set that made the singer one of the freshest voices in soul at the time! Hewett's vocals are lean and right on the money – perfectly suited to fit the 80s groove mode of the backings – especially the bubbly, bouncy kind of cuts that were always Howard's catchiest numbers – and which, honestly, should have had him crossing over much bigger at the time! Beats and keyboards glide along nicely throughout – and titles include "Stay", "Say Amen", "I Got 2 Go", "Last Forever", "I Commit To Love", "Love Don't Wanna Wait", and "Let's Try It All Over Again". Forever & Ever has a nice degree of crackle all the way through – that snappy, soulful style that Hewett did so well back in the day – working here as almost a one-man powerhouse on production and arrangements too! The tunes are catchy, but never too crossover – and Hewett has this way of bringing in a subtle drama on the upbeat tracks, while avoiding some of the cliches of his contemporaries – then sliding into some mellower moments that really hold the album together strongly. Production is definitely in a late 80s R&B mode, but with a style that really sets it apart – and titles include "Strange Relationship", "This Time", "Good Bye Good Friend", "Challenge", "Natural Love", "Once Twice Three Times", "Shakin My Emotion", and "Share A Love". The self-titled Howard Hewett set is standard-setting album from Howard Hewett – the kind of record that made him a dominant force in soul at the start of the 80s, and for good reason too! Hewett knocks it out of the park with the very first tune – his great duet with Anita Baker on "When Will It Be" – then flows wonderfully through a set of tracks that build with a nice sense of subtle drama, and use enough of the best contemporary elements to remind us that we're in the world of soul, not pop – on cuts that include "Don't Give In", "If I Could Only Have That Day Back", "Show Me", "I Do", "Let Me Show You How To Fall In Love", and "I Know You'll Be Comin Back". Allegiance is one of the biggest albums ever from Howard Hewett – already a superstar in 90s soul by the time of its release, and a master of the new sort of quiet storm that was taking over in the decades! The beats are a bit heavier than the years before – that lesson that mainstream R&B was starting to learn from the streets – while still keeping the best focus on the sort of romantic charms that first got Hewett noticed in the first place, on a set of tracks that have a gently-stepping vibe throughout. Titles include "Can't Get Over Your Love", "Say You Will", "Masquerade", "Ronnie O", "Save Your Sex For Me", "Can We Try Again", "Allegiance", "Just Like A Woman", and "To Thee I Pray". Bonus tracks include the duet with Roberta Flack on "Let Me Be A Light To Shine", one with David Sanborn on "Got To Give It Up" – and tracks that include "Stay (before midnight mix)", "Ten Commandments Of Love", "Strange Relationship (ext)", "If I Could Only Have That Day Back (12" ext voc)", "Obsession", and "I Can't Tell You Why". ~ Dusty Groove
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