A gospel-influenced R&B/dance music belter with a big, booming voice,
Colonel Abrams was compared to
James "D-Train" Williams (of "You're the One for Me" and "Keep Giving Me Love" fame) more than anyone else in the 1980s. And when
Make a Difference came out in 1996,
D-Train was still a valid comparison. But
Abrams was never a clone of anyone, and he always comes across as his own man on this excellent but underexposed CD.
Abrams' roots were the soul and disco of the late '70s, a fact that's hard to miss on such intoxicating house-music delights as "I'm Caught Up," "99 1/2" and "As Quiet as It's Kept." Don't let the high-tech production fool you;
Abrams' dance music is consistently mindful of disco's northern soul roots. Though fast tempos and a club orientation dominate
Make a Difference, "Get With You" reminds us how effective the singer can be on ballads. It's unfortunate that this disc isn't better known. ~ Alex Henderson