CASTLE MUSIC

Back to Castle Music Review Menu - reviewed

The Whispers - So Good/ Just gets better with time - SOLAR - CMRCD573 -

Released on 21 October 2002

Continuing with this series of Whispers reissues, this two in one features the 1984 gold album So Good, and it's 1987 follow up Just gets better with time.

Firstly as I think this is the concluding chapter in this series let me say that it has been a wonderful set. Every album contains something for the Soul Connoisseur, and if you didn't previously rank The Whispers as one of the all time top male vocal groups, go out and get one of these albums, better still get the lot.

The first album here includes the hit, Solar standard and the best upbeat track in evidence, 'Some kinda lover' and whilst the dance tracks are good there are two absolute killers here namely 'Don't keep me waiting', a two stepper written by Babyface and 'Never too late', a ballad with that trademark unmistakeable Whispers super soul sound.

The dance tracks include 'Contagious' 'Sweet sensation' 'On impact'. The ballads are 'Suddenly' featuring a cameo by Phyllis Hyman and 'Are you going my way'.

The album closes with the title track which is 'So good'

The second part includes their biggest hit ever 'Rock Steady' an R'n'B number 1 and top 10 pop hit stateside. The album went double platinum and it was no coincidence that Babyface and LAReid were heavily involved.

Again splitting the album into two as is always possible with The Whispers, the upbeat cuts are 'I want you', 'Special F/X', 'No pain no gain'. For me 'Special F/X' written by Leon Sylvers suits the Whispers vocality better than the emerging LA & Babyface harder beat, although maybe it was starting to get a bit dated ' cos by this time the latter pairing were getting hot, as sales of this album would prove.

Ballad wise there is a great one with 'In the Mood', topped by the title track 'Just gets better with time', 'Love's calling', and 'Give it to me'

 So whether you have a penchant for the ballads or 80's dance there will be more than sufficient to satiate, with some classics thrown in for good measure.

Visitors: