This album was released with little fanfare in the summer of 1993 and was, at best, ignored and at worst, panned. WHY? Firstly James Ingram is one of THE definitive male vocalists of all-time - of any musical genre for that matter - and secondly, the legendary Philly GOD Thom Bell produced a number of songs which were beyond essential. If you love Thom Bell's sweet Philly styling with the likes of The Spinners, The Delfonics, Johnny Mathis etc, then you will love this updated 90s sound. Equally lush and orchestrated but still 100% Thom Bell in each and every way. These songs really pull at my heartstrings and wet the eyes. Check out the beautiful Thom Bell songs below and see why I feel this album is simply amazing. James' interpretation of the 1973 Mathis track “A Baby's Born” (see our 1970s reviews section) is just spine-tingling, and “This Is The Night” and “You Never Know What You Got” are just sublime. The full orchestration, sitar and hallmarks of everything that made the Philly era classic are all present and correct.“Any Kind Of Love” is a real groover complete with flute and horns, and straight out of the Bell & James era. Superb! Indeed, another top-draw producer is Keith Thomas – he of BeBe & CeCe Winans and Vanessa Willaims fame – and his inclusions here are also little short of breathtaking. Beware, and I mean SERIOUSLY beware...do NOT flick through tracks such as “Let Me Love You This Way” and “Always You” and dismiss them as schmaltz or Disney tunes. What a grave, grave error that would be. I guarantee that if you listen to them properly and absorb them they will absolutely overwhelm you. There are only a few songs on here I do actually accuse of being sickly sweet or schmaltzy, and one of these – surprisingly – is the Maurice White cut “Sing For The Children”. Thankfully, Wounded Bird Records stateside have seen fit to reissue this CD, along with many other classy soul and jazz CDs, and have given it an important and much needed second chance. Make sure you check it out. It's more than a gem. It should be sat in with the Crown Jewels.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
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