I have always had a soft spot for Herb Alpert - my Dad used to play a lot of his stuff, and also mores the point that "Bean Bag" was the theme tune to "It's A Knockout". The man just got a whole lot cooler! Seriously, Herb is one cool dude and has dabbled with black music on more than a few occasions - his label A and M also commands respect for the sheer amount and quality of soul and jazz that has appeared on it. This powerhouse album saw the first chart action for Herb since 1980's "Rise", and all thanks to the genius input of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. These gentleman were responsible for the smash hits "Keep Your Eye On Me" and "Diamonds" and highlight yet again how strong and in control they were in the mid - late 1980s.The unusual opening salvo of smashing glass, sawing wood, hammerings and even a barking dog catapulted me warily into "Keep Your Eye On Me" on first hearing. The chugging and bouncing beats that ensued really trembled the bass-pins and Herb's funky horn along with Lisa Keith's sexy vocals soon won me over and has remained a strong speaker rattler ever since. I'm not at all surprised that this was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and so too was the Janet Jackson led "Diamonds". Another goodies from the boys at Flyte-Time! As you know, I love my ballads and you will find two Jam & Lewis KILLERS on here...the beautiful "Pillow" with Herb's distinctive horn and vocals is simply to die for. Again, Jam and Lewis working their magic. The real show-stopper, though, is the Lisa Keith fronted and Janet Jackson supported ballad "Making Love In The Rain". I fell deep in love with this song immediately and remain devoted to it to this day. Songs like this will forever sound fantastic. I wish Jam and Lewis would listen back to this era and bear it in mind when they lay down new material. It will outlive any of their new stuff. This is still easily available cheaply on CD from Amazon. Go on - treat yourself!
