Rick Smith is a fantastic vocalist in the mould of Cliff Dawson cum Michael Henderson, with a few falsetto moments thrown in for good measure. If early 80s soul and boogie are as up your street as it is mine, then give this album a chance. The excellent Dutch Vinyl Masterpiece released this LP, and remastered the album from the original record as no master tape exists – and the result is very, very good. "(We Should Be) Lovers" commences with some fine musicianship and female vocals underpinned by a scratchy, funky guitar, slap bass and keys, Rick himself reverberates soulfully and snugly in-between the groove. It is when he really glides over the melody and is joined by brass and strings that the track really comes alive. A fantastic start, then, and proceeded by a sweet ballad featuring a duet with Sandi Humphreys. Slow to start, but slowly building into a memorable tune, "I’ve Got To Be With You" is indeed a highlight of this album. Sandi is a lovely vocalist and her phrasing against the strings and female backing singers really works a treat. "Just Like In The Movies" is another quality ballad and portrays Rick’s vocals very strongly indeed. The tempo is upped for the string laden "I’ve Got To Love You Again" – an unassuming track that is very good indeed. A tasty dancer can be found with the joyful stepper, "I Never Give Up On Love" – this is a song that I have rotated many times. It’s hi-hat rhythm and flavour is not totally dissimilar to Keni Burke’s "Hang Tight". That should get the old toes tapping! One of my favourites is "Love Came Today"; we are treated to a falsetto here and the tune is a gentle groove that is better suited to the warmer weather and not mid November! The sax on this track really is nice and fits well into this Dazz Band styled tune perfectly. This is tailed by an excellent midtempo called "We Belong In Love" and is another quality song. My final choice is the superb ballad "Last Night Made My Day". I was very impressed with this album and think that aficionados of the classic late 70s / early 80s period will want to snap this up. Essential 80s soul and still available on CD.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
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