Having recently reviewed Al Johnson's 1980 album, my mind took me to this gem from 2004. As soon as I saw that Al and Paul Minor had their hands in this release I knew immediately that this had to be checked out. I adore Al Johnson’s vocals, his writing and production and he shines on this collaboration with the excellent Desi. Desi has been known on the indie scene for almost 20 years, and has yet to disappoint. The CD boasts 6 tracks on here that are really, really strong and will definitely be up your street. My first choice is the excellent 80s sounding "Together Forever" which is Desi’s own composition. Superb! My favourite song though has to be the KILLER dancer that is the irresistible "Unless She Comes Back Home". This is Desi and Al Johnson at their uptempo best and although the story line of the song is quite sad, the music is so happy, positive and ‘in there’ that it is a dream of a song. This is exactly the sort of uptempo material that gets my juices flowing. Again, another favourite is the interesting and funky "Wait Until You’re Ready" which has a hard, chunky beat and some tasty keys. There is also that classic New Jack Swing squeaky effect which was so prevalent in the late 80s and early 90s. Although those particular tracks sound pathetically dated now, this song certainly does not. In addition it has some superb, raspy sax courtesy of Brian Lenair. I heartily recommend this strong, strong dancer. "Takin’ It As It Comes" as a midtempo effort is excellent, needless to say. There are also 2 other remixes at the tail end of this CD to check out too. You may have gathered from this already that I am favouring the uptempo material. You would be right; there is little of what I call balladry on here but that is a trifle, really. There is one ballad on here that I recommend and that is "This Feeling We’re Feeling". The only thing that marred it for me slightly is the input of a heavy rock guitar. All in all this CD has some blindingly good moments, and is definitely worth a purchase for the above songs. In contrast there are some less appealing songs – the cover of "Never Can Say Goodbye" being one of them.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
