A few months back, I heard a single from this album on the 1999 compilation Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz: Vocals and found it to be one of the best cuts on that comp, so I ordered this album (I got a two-for-one deal, so we'll be seeing another Reeves CD on this blog at some point).
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| Billboard, October 24, 1987, p. 104 |
Reeves' fantastic vocals on jazzy adult contemporary tracks produced by George Duke featuring guest artists Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Stevie Wonder, Freddie Hubbard, etc. - not much more need be said. Midtempo cuts, ballads, and standards, so settle in, put on some headphones, turn off your devices, and relax.
Chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200 chart: #172
- Billboard R&B albums chart: #28
- Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart: #1
- CashBox Jazz albums chart: #1
Tracks: In addition to the track that brought me to this album, Better Days, I dig the lead track, Sky Islands, and the Stevie Wonder-penned Never Said (see below). The album ends with three standards: Yesterdays, I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good, and That's All. With that unusual sequencing, you wouldn't think they'd fit in with the contemporary stuff, but indeed they do. The only track that doesn't do much for me is, ironically, I'm O.K.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but considering how much I liked/played/talked about Anita Baker in '87, I can't believe somebody didn't hip me to this back then.
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