When this album came out, in the middle of the punk and disco booms, it seemed like a breath of fresh air, a stomping mix of heavy metal and soul, filled with engaging originals by
Reid and spiced by heavy-handed but bracing versions of harmony-based numbers like "Baby I Love You," "Then I Kissed Her," "Walk Away Renee," and "All I Have To Do Is Dream." Today, they don't hold up so well, and the album seems a bit over-the-top, overdone, and excessive. Doug Rodrigues and
Reid share guitar chores, and the best parts of their playing are the softest moments. The backing vocals by Denise Williams, Dyanne Chandler, and Maxine Willard are often ravishing, and Reid's singing is as powerful as ever -- it all just seems a bit arch and artificial, perhaps because of the way-too-close bass and drum sound, and the too-heavy guitar; that works for blues, as
Led Zeppelin proved most of the time, but it makes for some distinctly unsubtle R&B. ~ Bruce Eder