Search - Angela Bofill :: Angel of the Night

An ?Angel? for Any Time of the Day

Reginald D. Garrard | Camilla, GA USA | 11/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are a handful of ballads written during the rock era that just stand out as being startling and totally awe-inspiring. For fear of leaving the truly worthy out of that list, I can rightly say that Angela Bofill's "I Try" is one of those. Penned by the singer, the song works on all levels. It is a passionate love song featuring the sultry keyboard wizardry of Dave Grusin and the sax extraordinaire Eddie Daniels. This one song is reason enough for a purchase of this genuinely classic album.The jazzed-up version of The Stylistics' "People Make the World Go `Round" is another winner on a recording filled with satisfying tracks. "What I Wouldn't Do (For the Love of You)," the title track, and the touching "Rainbow Child (Little Pas)" are breathtaking.Bofill, like the late Phyllis Hyman, deserves a wider audience. Sadly, the fickleness of the American listening public can only accept the bubble-gum franchises.I want to give the "props" to a true musical artist. Bofill is the "real deal.""

At last, it has been re-released!

Rafgar | Quezon City, Philippines | 07/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard Angela Bofill was in 1981 when a friend lent me her tape of 'Angel of the Night.' From that time on, I was hooked to the voice of Angela, and I bought basically most of her albums. During that time, the only media available were the vinyl LPs and cassettes. Among my personal favorites are 'Angie' (her first album), 'Something About You', 'Too Tough' and, of course, 'Angel of the Night.'What attracted me to Angela was her style of singing and her choice of songs, specially those in her first two albums which were produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen under their GRP record label. These songs were really full of her emotions. One can really feel her joy, love, angst and grief just by listening to her songs. Probably because a lot of her early songs were her compositions. Her style in 'Angie' and 'Angel of the Night' were what they called 'jazz fusion' - a blend of jazz and R&B. The early '80s were characterized by this kind of this musical genre, and Angela Bofill was among its more prominent personalities. Up to this time, local radio stations still include her songs in their line-ups.When I learned that her first two albums have been re-released, this time in CD format, I really got excited! Now I have the chance of listening to these albums again without the usual hisses and scratches from my old vinyl LPs. It's really about time that a great album such as this is finally released in CD format. Although she still comes out with news albums from time to time, I still prefer her early albums (such as those under the GRP and Arista) over the later ones. Her voice and songs during the early part of her career were truly unique and really worth listening to, again and again."

If I'm ever lost on a desert island....

Mickey Frith | Nashville, TN | 12/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ANGEL OF THE NIGHT was the album that turned me on to Angela Bofill. Prior to being exposed to it, I had heard a later title of hers, TEASER, and was quite unimpressed. But this album grabbed me with its style: late 70's jazzy/Latin/R&B/pop, all meshed together into eight smooth and captivating tracks. Nowadays it seems that due to the CD format, too many artists and record companies feel the need to fill up as much of an 80-minute disc as possible. The more songs for your money, right? Well, that would be fine if you're getting 80 minutes worth of quality music. Filler doesn't cut it for me, and this album, from start to finish, most definitely does NOT contain filler. ANGEL OF THE NIGHT is a prime example that QUALITY is 100 times more important that QUANTITY. (Side note: Remember that Anita Baker's classic RAPTURE also had eight songs, as did Natalie Cole's THANKFUL.)Now, after hearing Angela's entire catalog, I can still say that ANGEL OF THE NIGHT is my favorite of her albums, with ANGIE running a very close second. Yes, if I end up being lost on one of those proverbial desert islands and have the good fortune to possess a CD player (with batteries that never run out!) and only ten CD's, among those would definitely be this album.And the best news is that Buddah did a FANTASTIC job on their reissue of this album, including both the original liner notes as well as new liner notes by David Nathan, plus lyrics to all the songs.If this kind of style is appealing to you, I predict you will fall in love with ANGEL OF THE NIGHT."