Still Caught Up
Artist: Millie Jackson

Still Caught Up returned listeners to the torrid backbiting and constant recriminations of Millie Jackson's blockbuster Caught Up, and though it didn't compare favorably, it was easily good enough to make it better than her average full-length. Though not live, it has a stagey sound, with frequent monologues, nice testifying backup vocals, an... Read More

Betty Wright Live
Artist: Betty Wright

When Betty Wright Live was first released in 1978, there was some speculation on whether or not it was really a live album or simply a studio recording with canned applause. To be sure, the applause doesn't sound authentic, and the original LP's liner notes listed neither a recording date nor a location. But whether it was recorded on stage or... Read More

Spark of Love
Artist: Lenny Williams
Community Score: 10.00

Originally released on ABC Records in 1978, this compilation succeeded Choosing You, which spawned Lenny Williams' biggest solo hit, "Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh!" (included here). The tunes run the gamut from disco, ballads, and the sociopolitical whoop em' up "Changes." "I Still Reach Out" has a stalking beat, and Lenny's in-your-face vocals, accented... Read More

Voyager
Artist: Dexter Wansel

After employing a lot of sci-fi/space travel imagery on his first album, Life on Mars, Dexter Wansel got away from the outer space theme on his second album, What the World Is Coming To. But as it turned out, that was only temporary -- the cover of Wansel's third album, Voyager, finds him dressed like an astronaut. In the late '70s, Wansel... Read More

Teddy Pendergrass - RIGHT STUFF
Artist: Teddy Pendergrass
Community Score: 7.00

The skeptics had their suspicions allayed quickly when Teddy Pendergrass' debut album as a solo singer cracked the Top 40. Its lead single, "I Don't Love You Anymore," was among his best uptempo tunes, and the followup ballad "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me" ended any speculation that he was returning to Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. While... Read More

Chaka
Artist: Chaka Khan
Miss Randy Crawford
Artist: Randy Crawford

Randy Crawford's charming debut was produced by Bob Montgomery (Bobby Goldsboro, Billy Sherrill) with some tracks having a slight country-ish/Southern soul feel to them. Its a perfect showcase for Crawford's interpretive skill.The singer makes the Don Henley/Glenn Frey song "Desperado" and the Mack Gordon/Harry Warren standard "At Last," her... Read More

Barry White's Greatest Hits
Artist: Barry White

Before a definitive multi-disc box set was issued in the 1990s, there were two single-album volumes of Barry White hits released by Casablanca in the 1970s. The first was the best, with sweeping versions of such disco classics as "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." White's productions and... Read More

A Quiet Storm
Artist: Smokey Robinson

The genius of William "Smokey" Robinson is immeasurable. As many of his prior songs had shaped R&B and pop music, this album would have a similar effect. The title track became the namesake for a music format. The album itself had three singles hit the charts. Arranged in an intermittent rhythm, "Baby That's Backatcha" ran up the Billboard R&B... Read More

Life Is a Song Worth Singing
Artist: Teddy Pendergrass

This was the album that convinced anyone who had doubts about the wisdom of Pendergrass leaving Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes that he had made a good decision. Although he only got one R&B hit from the album, there were enough strong ballads and uptempo cuts to show that Pendergrass had the sound, personality, and style to cut it on his own.... Read More

Motown Superstar Series, Vol. 10
Artist: The Originals

The Detroit-based Originals began singing in 1966, with tenor vocalists Crathman Spencer and Henry Dixon, bassist Freddie Gorman and baritone Walter Gaines. Marvin Gaye helped bring them to Motown and later wrote or co-wrote three of their singles, including the anthemic "Baby, I'm For Real." That single, their other major hit, "The Bells," and... Read More

Ecstasy's Dance: The Best of Narada Michael Walden
Artist: Narada Michael Walden

There's no denying Narada Michael Walden's drumming chops, but he's also a very talented hitmaker as well. Since the '70s, he's scored several R&B hits as a solo artist, and is a top session musician to this day. He's played with the best (Jeff Beck, Kenny G., Mariah Carey, and Aretha Franklin) and has dabbled in just about every musical form --... Read More