Al Jarreau - L Is For Lover (1986) CD Rip

Tracklist

1. Tell Me What I Gotta Do
2. L Is For Lover
3. Says
4. Pleasure
5. Golden Girl
6. Across The Midnight Sky
7. (We Got) Telepathy
8. Give A Little More Lovin
9. No Ordinary Romance
10. Real Tight

personnel :

Al Jarreau: lead vocals, backing vocals, vocoder
Nile Rodgers: guitar, keyboard bass, keyboards, backing vocals, vocoder
Philippe Saisse: keyboards, keyboard bass, piano solo, Synclavier horns
Kevin Jones: Synclavier programming
Peter Scherer: keyboards, keyboard bass
Hiram Bullock: guitar, guitar solo
Anthony Jackson: bass guitar
Jimmy Bralower: drums, percussion
Steve Ferrone: second hi-hat cymbal, drums
Leonard Gibbs: percussion
Mac Gollehon: brass
Robert Aaron: reeds
Tawatha Agee: backing vocals
Lisa Fischer: backing vocals
Diane Garisto: backing vocals
Terri Gonzalez: backing vocals
Brenda King: backing vocals
Curtis King: backing vocals
Michelle Cobbs: backing vocals
Fonzi Thornton: backing vocals
Cindy Mizelle: backing vocals

While Al Jarreau's jazz following probably ignored this 1986 studio release in droves, they missed a gem, a perhaps surprisingly scintillating collaboration with one of the leading dance-music producer/guitarists of the time, Nile Rodgers (late of Chic). Not only did Rodgers and Jarreau assemble some strong tunes from many sources, Rodgers took advantage of Jarreau's rhythmic capabilities, for some of the material is too deliciously complicated for any old R&B soulster to pull off. Hear the way Jarreau brilliantly threads his way through the rhythmically complex hornet's nest of "Says" in English and French, or savor the sheer ecstatic energy of the chorus of "Pleasure" and the rapid-fire list of cities in the title track; this is first-class pop recordmaking. While the quality of material tails off in the second half of the program, the great tracks early on mark the aesthetic peak of Jarreau's R&B output of the '80s. Unfortunately, record buyers begged to differ, for other than the minor R&B hit single status of the title track, this album could not reverse AJ's sales slide.~Richard S. Ginell