Judy Mowatt - Look At Love (1991)

Breezy seems a word tailor-made for Judy Mowatt, and her sweet vocals, bouncy delivery, and bright as sunshine optimism make Look at Love an upbeat charmer. The Taxi Gang do their bit by digging out their perkiest rhythms, while a glee club's worth of guest vocalists, Marcia Griffiths and Brian & Tony Gold amongst them, accompany the singer with proven style. The set is drawn from self-penned and co-written songs, tracks composed by song arranger Michael Bennett, and a few covers, including a soulful take on Marley's "Jah Live" and an astonishing rendition of the '60s classic "Groovin'," boasting one of Taxi's most innovative rhythms. Love has many moods, and Mowatt is master of them all. The crystalline beauty of lovers rock is a forte, and "Candle in the Window" shows off this side of the singer to the very best. "Skin of My Skin" is Mowatt at her smoothest, on a song that almost skips along with delight. On "Guilty" she puts a man in his place with panache, her delivery a ferocious diva who will brook no nonsense. Mowatt is equally effective on the cultural tracks, and on one of the album's showcases, the moving "Warrior Queen," she pays heartfelt tribute to groundbreaking black women. She gives an equally strong performance on "Lioness in the Jungle," this time to a tribal beat, although the jungle here is of the concrete variety. From the personal to the cultural, Mowatt's emotions blaze true, and on Look at Love she makes her presence felt on every note.~© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo