Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio were amidst a successful career when album number four, A Woman Need Love, hit stores in 1981. The album’s first single “is “A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do.) The song was written as a counterpoint to the group’s previous hit, “Jack and Jill.” That song was is written from “Jack’s” viewpoint of being neglected, just as “A Woman Needs Love” is written from “Jill’s” perspective, as the lyrics indicate: “by the time poor Jack returned up the hill, someone else had been loving Jill.”
“It’s Your Night” takes things to the dance floor and gives the band a chance to show off their instrumentation skills. “That Old Song” is a fan favorite that talks about a former love that anyone can relate to when you think about an ex before finding the right one. “All in the Way You Get Down” finds the group dabbling in a sound popularized by Heatwave and Rod Temperton. Honestly, hearing this song would feel right at home on Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall.
“You Can’t Fight What You Feel” and “Old Pro” are both solid album tracks, while “Still in the Groove,” a follow-up to the instrumental funk hit “For Those Who Like to Groove,” should gratify fans looking for a good time. The album closes out with the sappy ballad “So Into You.” As we all know, Parker would go onto a successful solo career, so maybe his heart wasn’t entirely in this project. Nevertheless, A Woman Need Love features enough likable material to close out the group’s brief four-album catalog.
Final Grade: B-
A Woman Need Love is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.