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.
As the King of Pop’s biopic continues to perform well at the box office, I wanted to revisit one of Michael Jackson’s overlooked solo albums, “Forever, Michael”, released in 1975, for my first Second Listen Sunday of 2026.
As Joe prepares for his upcoming Tiny Desk performance, it’s a fitting time to revisit “U Should Know Me,” one of the hidden gems in his catalog. This song, which he wrote and produced himself, first appeared in 1998 on the soundtrack for “Caught Up”, a hood drama starring Bokeem Woodbine and Cynda Williams.
As fans look forward to his upcoming co-headlining “Nights Like This” tour with Akon, Ne-Yo is smoothly transitioning into country music while still maintaining his R&B roots with his latest single, “Ms. Tundra.” This infectious track is the third release from his forthcoming tenth studio album, “Highway 79,” set for release on July 10 via Compound Entertainment.