Recall a few reviews back when I sang the praises of A+M Records? Look no further for justification. This, throughout the late 80s and 1990s, was a much sought after album and thanks to our Dutch friends at Vinyl Masterpiece, this is available on CD. To be honest, it is an album I have never really been overly excited about as it is hardly consistent. Yes, there are some cracking tracks on it but haven't so many other 80s albums? For me the chief track had already been released on CD back in the '90s on Expansion's excellent “Soul Chasers”compilation. There is, though, three other must-have songs on here; my favourite being a song called “Give It Up”, a cut that has been given a recent airing by Gary Spence on the Soulchoonz show! Now there's a man with taste! If you don't know this song then it's time you became acquainted with it. It's one of the best 80s midtempo numbers you're likely to hear. The brass and strings are great and Linda Stokes sounds fantastic, although, let's be honest she always does doesn't she?!This album has been remastered from vinyl and the quality is very high, although “Hold Tight” does let its guard down from time to time but nothing that truly detracts from the quality. “Get Off” is more funkier and meatier than the other uptempo offerings and still sounds very good indeed. My final pick is the midtempo closing track “When We Love”. I can tell that this is from vinyl but this should not perturb many. The album is typical of Michael Stokes' early 80s productions; meaning that smooth classy ballads nestle nicely with boogie tune numbers. Michael himself plays keyboards, alongside another maestro who we all know and love – Greg Phillinganes. For me though the dancers – on this particular set at least - sound a little past their prime and too of their time. I believe ballads always stay the course over dancers at any rate, and they still sound as good now as they did back then. The fact that this album is now fantastically and lovingly packaged and at a sensible price is something to celebrate.
Barry Towler,
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
