THE JONES GIRLS Coming Back
UK ARP, 1992
1) Coming Back 2) When a Woman's In Love 3) Sweet Ecstasy 4) Tell Me Why 5) Where Is Your Love 6) Getting on with My Own Life 7) You Threw Our Love Away 8) Somewhere Alone Tonight 9) Free 10) Merry Go Round 11) Could Have Been Right 12) All I Want
We really have to thank the UK soul fans for reviving The Jones Girls' career.
The ex-Philly girl group was already a forgotten act in the USA, but now the sisters
are back with an absolutely gorgeous UK album, appropriately titled Coming Back
(ARP UK CD). The sisters' new labelmate Stephen Carmichael (from the duo Affair)
produced two tracks, as did the Soul II Soul leader Jazzie B. Thankfully,
Jazzie B. has managed to create quite imaginative arrangements different from his
usual Soul II Soul sound. Carmichael's slick and polished arrangements also suit
fine for The Jones Girls' crystal clear harmonies.
However, the album's most delicious moments are produced by Errol Henry.
When a Woman's in Love, co-written by Keni Burke, is a truly classy
beat ballad with the sisters' angelic harmonies at their very finest.
What makes this album so strong is that not only the down tempo material is
sheer quality soul, but also the faster tracks include some marvellous groovers:
Merry Go Round (another Shirley Jones - Keni Burke composition)
and All I Want (featuring some stunning flugelhorn work by Kevin Robinson)
are extremely infectious soul shufflers. Carmichael's beautiful midtempo tune
Could Have Been Right is also very catchy. The only cut I don't really care
is the title track, which I found a pretty mediocre attempt to lead the girls into
rawer street soul sounds. A most welcome return and definitely in my top 5 of the year!
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