The first album without the great Lionel Richie, and the gang replace him with a tremendous talent in the form of Britain's very own Liverpudlian J.D. Nicholas. Whoever thought a Scouser would ever front a group such as the Commodores! Strange, but true. This, their final outing for Motown contained some great tracks which are still available to locate on CD today. Everyone knows and loves the Commodores - one of Motown's few shining stars of the 1970s - well, sales-wise at any rate, and it was great to see these guys and other classic giants such as the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops and Betty Lavette amongst others striking out in the 1980s and having hits at a time when many established artists were finding it difficult to stay in the game. "Nightshift" spawned the HUGE hit of the same name - a song that still, today, gives me butterflies when I hear it start. Such a gorgeous track, a testament to the great vocalists Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye who had recently passed away. This song, being a smash hit aside contains some very touching and personal lyrics, and Walter Orange nails this perfectly. Today I still get chills when I hear it. Such a beautiful song - and one that these greats can be proud of.A track that sends me to heaven is "Lay Back". The softly pounding beats, drunken guitar and freaky synth is a perfect backdrop for close, tight harmonies and J.D. Nicholas is a masterful vocalist on this sexy, seductive number. If anyone from the younger generation wants to know why I love the 80s so much I can easily point to songs like this. However much I love today's quality stuff nothing can beat 80s tunes like this. This song is produced by Peter Wolf who also worked on the excellent debut solo album by El Debarge a year later. Peter also worked on a lot of classy rock material too - my favourite being Starship's "We Built This City". A talented producer who could turn out a soul gem as much as a rock hit. Bobby Caldwell's inclusion, "Janet" was also a single but made no inroads; a pity as this song is very good. As an 80s album I can thoroughly recommend this to you without hesitation.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
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