Atlantic Starr - As The Band Turns (1985)

Artist:  Atlantic Starr
Title:  As The Band Turns
Release:  1985
Format:  LP
Label:  A&M Records
Catalog#  395019-1

Atlantic Starr really came up in 1985 with their last release from A&M Records entitled “As The Band Turns” featurin the Lewis Bros. with special guest Barbara Weathers, who took the replacement of Sharon Bryant.
“As The Band Turns” is an album with more spunk other than the past four albums released, its album cover is created with designs and artistic painting, the photos of each member turned, and the group’s name in different colors, paper cut-outs, crayons, and waterpaints.
On July 1985, I remember hearing “Silver Shadow” on the radio, coming home from Century Plaza and then I herad it again as soon as me and my mother were going to our grandmother’s house to spend the night, I thought the song was an excellent tune with the drums intro, the sparkling music, then the heavy drum, good beat and music, Barbara working the vocals really well along with David’s background vocals and Paulinho’s percussions. The freaky-robotic sound of Freak-A-Ristic, talks about a female that turns on Wayne. The fourth single “Secret Lovers” talks about being in love with someone that you really can’t trust so much that it just breaks your so bad.
“Cool,Calm, Collected” with a funky tune and drum beats and David singing ’bout a girl who was stalking him like a cat and gets a crush and also appers to be one of my faves, to the smooth, big husky, slow ballad of “If Your Heart Isn’t In It”, oh my gosh what a hit, the sweet humble vocals of Barbara Weathers & Wayne Lewis is so sultry that it makes you just wanna slow drag on the floor at your prom, wedding, or club or even if you’re in a screwie relationship with your girl or boy this is a song that will get your mind straight and keep it real.


Side one
1.  Freak-A-Ristic  (4:05)
2.  Cool, Calm, Collected  (4:04)
3.  One Love  (3:52)
4.  In the Heat of Passion  (4:38)
5.  If Your Heart Isn’t in It  (4:02)

Side two
1.  Silver Shadow  (4:53)
2.  Let’s Start It Over  (5:33)
3.  Secret Lovers  (5:30)
4.  Thank You  (4:29)

available at: http://www.ad-vinylrecords.com

Atlantic Starr - Brilliance (1982)

Artist:  Atlantic Starr
Title:  Brilliance
Release:  1982
Format:  LP
Label:  A&M Records
Catalog#   AMLH 64883

“Brilliance” is the fourth studio album by Atlantic Starr.
Atlantic Starr provided their best work in the early '80s, when Sharon Bryant was still on board and the East Coast residents were being produced by James Carmichael. Released in 1982, “Brilliance” was the second of three albums that Carmichael produced for Atlantic Starr  and it is also one of the band's finest and most essential releases. There is nothing not to like about this LP. The soul ballads "Your Love Finally Ran Out" and "Let's Get Closer" are excellent, and so are up-tempo funk/dance numbers like "Sexy Dancer" and "Love Moves" (which features Wayne Lewis on lead vocals and has a Slave/Steve Arrington/Aurra type of appeal). Brilliance, however, is best known for Bryant's soaring performance on the smash hit "Circles," which is one of those songs that is great on the dancefloor but is equally appealing if you want to simply sit down and listen to it. Bryant also excels on the single "Love Me Down," which wasn't as big a hit as "Circles" (it reached number 14 on Billboard's R&B singles chart), but is still a fine medium-tempo item. If you have only a casual interest in Atlantic Starr and only want to have a few of its albums in your collection, Brilliance should definitely be among them.


Side one
1. Love Me Down   (4:50)  
2. Sexy Dancer   (4:51)  
3. Love Moves  (5:00)  
4. Your Love Finally Ran Out  (4:47) 

Side two
1. Circles   (4:52)  
2. Let's Get Closer   (5:23)  
3. Perfect Love   (4:39)  
4. You're The One   (4:12)

available at: http://www.ad-vinylrecords.com