专辑简介

by Andy Kellman1980 was Sylvia Striplin's biggest year. Fresh from her brief but crucial role in Norman Connors' Aquarian Dream, another essential figure in the jazz-funk phenomenon, Roy Ayers, provided multiple outlets for the sweet-voiced singer. In the same year that saw Striplin release an album with Ayers' Eighties Ladies' project, she also broke out with a solo album. Both of these albums were issued on Ayers' Uno Melodic label, and while they didn't reach full-blown crossover status on the R&B charts, they have long since become rare groove favorites. Ayers produced and arranged this affair, but Striplin truly is the star; her voice is neither booming nor wailing, maintaining a youthful but powerful sweetness throughout eight songs that stick to sophisticated R&B constructs. Not a single track is weak, but a few stand out: the slinky, oft-sampled "You Can't Turn Me Away" (thanks in large part to the odd squelching effects) shows Striplin at her most sultry; "Give Me Your Love" is an irresistible up-tempo number full of drive and punch; and the low-key and feather-light "All Alone" benefits from subtle string arrangements. Whether you're an Ayers fan or an early-'80s R&B nut, you can't afford to overlook this album.