Carrie Lucas' impressionable debut album (and the rest of her catalog) finally saw its well-deserved CD release at the turn of the 21st century. The set doesn't stray too far from other R&B releases in 1977, but it does feature excellent musicianship on the arranging, vocal, and instrumental frontiers. Benefiting from the helping hands of
Jerry Peters, "Tender" is a lushly orchestrated, beautifully delivered romancer, while
Greg Phillinganes interjects lots of spunk and pep into the bustling number "I Gotta Get Away from Your Love," co-written by the arranger with
Lucas. An ideal merger of a disco bassline with R&B guitar licks, keyboard layerings, and backing vocals, it uses subtle elements of
Earth, Wind & Fire's sound. A few numbers are more on the generic side, mainly "I'll Close Love's Door" and the over-produced ballad "Me for You." The melodies here just don't cut it, and
Lucas' vocals lack a certain inspiration present in most of the material on
Simply Carrie. But the freshness of the remaining material -- including the very memorable disco classic "I Gotta Keep Dancin'," graced by the voices of the Wallace "Scotty" Scott and Walter Scott of
the Whispers -- showcases an understatedly soulful vocalist with a fulfilling repertoire. The only drawback to the CD release is that some of the quality of the original master appears to have been lost over the years. This aspect is most notable on a couple of tracks toward the end of the album, but isn't a major detraction otherwise. [This version of the album contains bonus material.] ~ Justin M. Kantor