Rodney Franklin - Diamond Inside Of You (1988)

     at this point i'm almost taking over the cover with this massive reflection. interesting little album here, big mix of new jack beats, soul, pop, really anything you name it. the record starts out with a jazzy instrumental tune with a new jack beat, Malibu Shuffle. followed closely by is Gotta Give It Up, a nice little uptempo poppy track. flip over the record and you get a nice soulful instrumental tune Shasta Wind. next track is another jazzy bit with a new jack swang, Woogie. lots to like in this one. laid back record, perfect for a late night groove. 

Louise Freeman - Listen To My Heart (1991)

     took a little flier on this one last week. cover and year led to to believe there'd be something for me, was not disappointed. decent record throughout, okay funky stuff with soul-ish mixed in. When Push Comes To Shove starts off the record in a funky style. flip it over and you get a seldom heard new jack tune, Back In Stride. the best two tracks start off their respective sides. was glad to get that new jack, can never get enough of it!

Donna McElroy - Bigger World (1990)

 

     reflection again says hey. was pretty excited to come across this one. released on the warner bros gospel label, one of only two releases apparently. this copy is from reprise though. the album starts out with some funky and soul stuff on the a-side, but it's the flip side where things get good. second track on that side is Take It Away, some decent gospel new jack. another great one sits at the very end of the record. Can't Stand Still starts with a little rap and goes into that smooth gospel new jack. nice little surprise of a record, you know what's in store.

Prince Phillip Mitchell - Loner (1991)

     hey from the reflection again. local record store had a big ol' stack of these, took a flier on it. last solo record from mitchell, and it's just an okay record. all soul throughout, with some of the tunes leaning on that funkier side. decent tracks all over it, but While The Cat's Away is easily the top choice. a funky soul tune that i found myself playing over and over all night, quite catchy. nothing more to say, just some laid back grooves.

Whispers - Love For Love (1983)

     this was a nice surprise way back in the day. the first tune Tonight is a massive boogie tune, but as soon as i heard it i knew something was fishy. instantly knew it was very similar to a jerry knight song. so i went and played that 1982 record and at the end, Do It All For You starts playing and i went there it is! went back to the whispers record to see who stole the song, and hey there was jerry's name as songwriter. if i compare the two, i actually prefer the whispers version. this version is much slower but it's so fat compared to jerry's version, both great though. the record wastes no time here, and the second tune is another sludgy boogie stomper, Keep On Lovin' Me. the rest of the record is some soul and bits of more boogie, but it doesn't live up to these two first songs. bar was set too high!

MerriWeather - Body Like That (1988)

     barely a hey from the reflection. was flipping through crates in a record store and spotted this one. had a close look and it seemed decent, but i left it behind. when i got home to check and see what i was missing, i couldn't find much, and the one snippet i found was pretty lame, Dog Eat Dog. the thing that struck me was it being listed as new jack, i figured there must be at least one good tune. went back into the store a few days later and picked it up. i couldn't wait to see what was going on. well the a-side wasn't doing it for me. flip it over and still nothing. i get to the second last track and finally a winner. was hoping for at least one good tune, and i got one and one only, Not Tired Yet. not the greatest new jack, but fun for sure with some great horn work. still kinda early for the genre, so it's no surprise the rest of the album is a snoozer.

Don Julian and the Larks - Super Slick (1974)

     i have so many records with the wrap on, reflection says hello. when i was scrolling through a local record store's page with new releases, i came across this. had no idea that this was finally gonna be available for under a billion dollars. went to said record store the following day and luckily they still had em. the price was a tad steep but i'd never get this anywhere else so i just went in on it. this amazing funk/soul record starts with a bang, Super Slick. followed right along with a great soul one, Ooh Baby I Love You. now i found out about don from my blaxploitation love, and Shorty The Pimp fits that mold perfectly. rounding out the highlights with the best tune, Schoolin and Foolin, super funky one. i remember like 10 years ago i was on my way home from university, and went into a different local toronto record store, and the guy was playing the original press of this. i was shocked! picked up a lot of great stuff over the years from there, and i'll never forget him blasting this record!

D'Atra Hicks - D'Atra Hicks (1989)

     hey yet again from the reflection. 1989 was a great year for pop, and this record has a bunch of it. wasn't sure what to expect going into this, the big single of the record starts the album out, but it really doesn't do too much for me. the whole a-side is a little lackluster, decent but nothing to gush over. the good stuff starts on the flip side. Heart of Gold is a strong entry and should have started the whole album off. Wait comes late in the record, a great uptempo number. but the real winner here is the fantastic poppy gem I Wanna Be Loved. very similar vein as How Will I Know. so yeah, half good, half bad, but worth it that one track alone!

Terry Steele - King Of Hearts (1989)

     hey again from the reflection! picked this up one up on a whim. based on the cover and date i knew there had to be some new jack on this thing. luckily there's three of them on this record. couldn't find these tracks anywhere online, so i thought i'd throw them up in case someone like me comes around and wonders what the record sounds like. most of the record is some late-80s soul and a tad bit of funky stuff. the best stuff here is the new jack tunes. nothing crazy good here, but some decent stuff, especially if you've exhausted the genre and are just looking for anything new. first standout comes at the end of the a-side, Give That Love. flip it over and you get two back-to-back, Anyway You Want It and What Cha Tryin' To Do. rather subdued form of new jack, but definitely worth the listen!

Barry White - The Message Is Love (1978)

 

     one of my favourite barry white records is a later one, The Message is Love. i mostly listen to love unlimited orchestra stuff, since his own albums are a little hit or miss with me cause of the ballads. the a-side to this one though is killer, starting with a bang, and ending with the best tune. amazing disco of course, 'Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant For Me)' is the absolute winner here. this is the tune i always come back to time and time again, unbeatable!

Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant For Me) and It Ain't Love, Babe (Until You Give It)

Italian Stallion (1978)

     hello from me in the reflection. one of the most recent things i've picked up is this the amazing soundtrack to the re-edit of Italian Stallion. some fantastic disco and funk based of off the original Rocky stuff. apparently a record store day exclusive, though it was put out much earlier digitally, superb work done by Sound Preservation Records. i somehow managed to snag this copy for 5 bucks, unbelievable. don't sleep, this thing is wall to wall great!

pairs nicely with my holy grail vhs release of the film.