This 1986 effort for Columbia is well worth seeking out. An album of distinctive halves, Side 1 was clearly the side to be given much attention, whereas the flipside seemed a whole lot weaker. Very strange. However, the four tracks I highlight here are of the highest calibre and rank amongs some of the finest work that Ronnie produced in the 1980s. Sister Debra Laws makes various appearances on vocal duties, and co-production is from the one and only Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire fame. The likes of old favourites Paulinho Da Costa and Jeff Lorber also put in a solid performance, the latter's most jaunty keyboard style ever so apparent. Some may have looked to this album and compared it with his Liberty releases and rejected it due to the very programmed nature of this particular set BUT even though that is a truism nothing can detract that this album is classy.From the offset I was in love with this album. I was seconds into "Come To Me" and had already been won over. I sit here 23 years after release feeling exactly the same magic about it now as I did on the day of release. A magnificent track with Ronnie giving spectacular performances both vocally and on sax, and Debra Laws ghosting his vocals in a mighty fine fashion also. This is, ultimately, a cool track and worth seeking out for this alone. "Misled" has a darker, more lowdown feel and Paulinho Da Costa adds to the electronic mix with some nice percussion. Larry Dunn adds some very flavoursome synth work here. Jeff Lorber is so, so obviously at the forefront of "Tell Me" - a track that would fit in very well on his brilliant, brilliant "Private Passion" album from the same time. The vocals and sax, again, are second to none. Very distinctive in both cirles is our Ronnie! My final pick is the irresistable and quirky "Mirror Town". The tapping beats, deep moog and see-saw synth along with Ronnie's breathy vocals and Debra's sneaky refrains make this a real gem. "Mirror Town" was available for a while on CD, so keep an eye out!
