The 1990s started off really positively, and MCA were serving up a lot of quality material, including this excellent and - in my humble opinion - far superior follow-up set. The McCampbell Brothers suffer from being known, purely and simply for the cross-Atlantic smash hit, "Roses Are Red", and even though that was an awesome track, it has cast a long shadow over their career and has eclipsed their equally excellent 1990s material. Fresh and fly, this CD did not disappoint, and plenty of talented names joined in the fun to ensure that the likes of we were thoroughly pleased with it. Fresh from their work on the latest Temptations effort, Keith Andes and Larry Hatcher weighed in with the storming "Someone To Love", setting the scene for the Maestro of the Quiet Storm, Gary Taylor, to do his stuff.The title song, a re-working of the tune located on Gary's own "Compassion" album (see 80s reviews) is far better in my view, and the other uptempo Taylor numbers "I'm No Stranger" and "Think About Me" are simply brilliant. Even though these are uptempo numbers, Gary still manages to work in his famous bridges which manage to give me goose-bumps as much as his ballad work. The ballads, though, take the biscuit. "You Are My Heart" is a powerful cut, highlighting how strong these guys' vocals really are, but nothing prepared me for the AWESOME "All Or Nothing At All". This would slot in perfectly on Gary's "Take Control" album against classics such as "I Live 4 U" and "Whatever". In the words of the late, great Kenny Everett, if you like shivers down your dooberry then this is the song for you. The guys would record but one more album, "The Real Deal" in 1991, but as far as I am concerned this Cd was the very pinnacle of their recording work. To date at least!
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
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