Search - Patti Austin :: Patti Austin

About Time !

Armando M. Mesa | Chandler, AZ | 09/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got tired of holding my breath about three years ago waiting for years for this Patti Austin title to be issued on cd stateside;I ended up purchasing my Japanese copy on eBay for an amount that I could have bought several cd's with. However, this was Patti's most difficult to obtain self titled cd and I had to have it ! ...No regrets.



Over the years, I've collected most of Patti Austin's albums and cd's and have yet to be disappointed(though, I did avoid her early 90's GRP catalog output).The Quincy Jones/Qwest 80's era catalog that Patti Recorded under showcases what an outstanding and fantastic artist she was/is.The lady is awesome to the nth degree.



This Patti Austin album is absolutley top notch in both terms of production and performance.Not a single misstep.I remember this type of R&B back in the 80's being called urban-pop soul.This was mature, adult, urban pop soul that could compete and survive and excel beyond what teens or kids my age were also listening to---Patti was able to reach a younger market as well! Whatever category or name this style was given it is some of the most slick and smooth music to come from the 80's (in the midst of a lot of cold synthesized artists);Patti exhudes pure and sheer vocal finesse(she can take on the color of each song and it becomes hers).I remember seeing this Austin title in the 80's in cut out bargain bins and avoided buying it thinking there had to be a reason why it didn't sell well.I'm just glad to own both the vinyl and cd version of this underrated gem(the vinyl version I have hanging in an album frame to display what has been lost to the cd and MP3 formats---album PHOTOGRAPHY and album jacket cover ART!)...



A couple of tracks on the Japanese cd oop issue only differs from the vinyl and cassette American version in that Rhythm of the Streets is extended towards the end;A sort of funky breakdown and Patti somewhat scattin' and ad libbin' at the end along with another track.



From the opening island partying and infectious Gonna Be Special track, to the toe tappin' Rhythm of the Streets (Santana's percussion player worked on this one), the fast paced and frenetic Hot! In The Flames of Love, an almost clone sounding Patti LaBelle New Attitude sounding track with the title Change Your Attitude, THEN all the way to the closer sentimental ballad, Any Way You Can, this album is phenomenal...In fact, I'm not one to get all mushy about ballads, but Any Way You Can can really strike a chord with even the toughest of the tough.This is the Patti Austin I remember growing up as a teen---This is the Patti Austin sound I remember and has stayed with me even into adulthood.



For Patti Austin fans, there is an actual music video for Rhythm Of The Streets on the site YouTube that shows Patti in a sort of 30's-40's jazz club setting. The lady dances,high kicks,and even acts in the video--shows that she has a great sense of humor! She could have been an actress.



I am happy to see this title re-issued in the states (FINALLY). Another title I would like to see re-issued of hers is the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced album Gettin' Away With Murder (contained the smoldering single Heat of Heat and Honey For The Bees---Alison Moyet did this song as well, but Patti's cover sizzles---she adds the R&B funk to it). The title track (some trivia here) Gettin' Away With Murder was a Meatloaf tune (his version pales in comparison to Patti's)!...

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Glad to see this one reissued

Timothy B. Mustaine | Wichita, KS United States | 09/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't buy the previous reviewer's categorization of Patti Austin's newest (I assume he refers to Avant Gershwin) as "mediocre." But I certainly agree that this is a first rate album that very much deserves reissue. Personally, this genre of material is not my cup of tea, but Ms. Austin does it so very well that it almost makes me nostalgic for the Reagan Era R & B of which this is a truly stellar example. Buy this album, but don't neglect Avant Gershwin or For Ella."

Uneven but worth having. . . .

Danniray99 | Expatriate in Germany | 10/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Patti Austin has one of the most beautiful and versatile voices in all of popular music. But she has rarely made an entire pop/R&B album that does full and consistent justice to her special gifts and this one is no exception. Like most of Austin's pop forays, this CD has more than its share of filler, yet more than half the tracks make it well-worth having. Stylistically, the album covers a lot of ground. The Carribean-tinged "Gonna Be Special," the pulsating "Rhythm of the Street" (the extended version of this song--which was not included on the original LP--features some thrilling gospel-inspired vocalizing--the kind of singing that will give you goosebumps!), the Prince-influenced "Fine, Fine Fellow" and the sultry funk of "Hot! In the Flames of Love" are all dance floor sizzlers. On "All Behind Us Now" and the heartbreaking Michael McDonald-inspired "Any Way You Can," Patti shows once again that she is one of the best and most interpretive ballad singers around. Patti Austin is so phenomenally talented that virtually all of her albums are worth a listen, even if a lot of the material she's recorded is not always worthy of her remarkable voice."