Review
Obsession is Bob James' first solo album for Warner Brothers after roughly ten years at CBS. James' first successful Warner Brothers endeavor had him teaming up with David Sanborn for the ubiquitous and well-executed Double Vision. By 12, James, like many other keyboardists, had begun to experiment with every gadget that came down the pike with mixed results. "Obsession" displays the often chilly sounds of the period synthesizers. The only vocal track, "Gone Hollywood," co-written by Lenny White, has good keyboard textures and plaintive vocals from Lisa Fischer and blistering guitar solos from Steve Khan. Unlike Double Vision, Obsession seems to be more unassuming. While many might be put off by the pure-'80s production values of "3AM" and "Rousseau," luckily they have compelling arrangements to ward off boredom. The album's best song, "Rain," is a methodical and pretty track that is an essential for devotees of the often-maligned late-'80s jazz-pop era. Obsession certainly works better than 12 and is a suitable continuation of the style of early-'80s albums The Genie and Sign of the Times.
Read more about this topic: Obsession (Bob James Album)
Famous quotes containing the word review:
“You don’t want a general houseworker, do you? Or a traveling companion, quiet, refined, speaks fluent French entirely in the present tense? Or an assistant billiard-maker? Or a private librarian? Or a lady car-washer? Because if you do, I should appreciate your giving me a trial at the job. Any minute now, I am going to become one of the Great Unemployed. I am about to leave literature flat on its face. I don’t want to review books any more. It cuts in too much on my reading.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
“Americans have internalized the value that mothers of young children should be mothers first and foremost, and not paid workers. The result is that a substantial amount of confusion, ambivalence, guilt, and anxiety is experienced by working mothers. Our cultural expectations of mother and realities of female participation in the labor force are directly contradictory.”
—Ruth E. Zambrana, U.S. researcher, M. Hurst, and R.L. Hite. “The Working Mother in Contemporary Perspectives: A Review of Literature,” Pediatrics (December 1979)
“Generally there is no consistent evidence of significant differences in school achievement between children of working and nonworking mothers, but differences that do appear are often related to maternal satisfaction with her chosen role, and the quality of substitute care.”
—Ruth E. Zambrana, U.S. researcher, M. Hurst, and R.L. Hite. “The Working Mother in Contemporary Perspectives: A Review of Literature,” Pediatrics (December 1979)