Search - Pointer Sisters :: Right Rhythm

Half Good, Half Bad

gassy goon | 01/21/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This was the Pointer Sisters only release on Motown. Released in 1990, it was the first album after 11 albums on Planet/RCA and the hit making years with producer Richard Perry. I wish I could say that it's a great album, but it isn't.



The first 3 tracks on here are the worst on the whole album. A new producer, Levi Saucer Jr. , a bassist with Prince and Sheila E. sets the Pointers up with noisy production, computer programming & all kinds of keyboard flourishes & sound effects. It ultimately buries their voices into this mess, and wrecks the songs. It's very dated. Better is YOU TOOK THE WORDS [ RIGHT OUTTA MY MOUTH ] thanks to June's rock'em sock' em lead vocals. [ WE WANNA ] THANK YOU is a fun, uplifting track that samples the Pointer's hits and each of them gets to sing & shout out their thanks. BILLY SAID YES is noteworthy for the first appearance of Ruth's daughter, Issa, who is now a member of The Pointer Sisters.



The best songs are the 3 produced by veteran producer James Carmichael [ who produced The Commodores and Lionel Richie ]. He provides sumptuous production, real instruments & lets the Pointers sing. AFTER YOU, WHAT A WOMAN WANTS and WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN are all great songs - ballads & mid-tempo songs that flow perfectly together . One other song INSANITY is pretty good - a dance track co-produced & written by Marti Shannon who wrote JUMP [ FOR MY LOVE ]. Certainly, the better songs on here are worth owning this CD. It does get better after the first 3 tracks . Levi Saucer Jr. may have thought that his production was all hip & cool, but it wasn't then or now, yielding no hits for the group, and burying them in messy mix. Listen to the other songson this album - they are good. This was the 2nd last Pointer Sisters album. The last one that June, Anita & Ruth did was ONLY SISTERS CAN DO THAT in 1993, and that is a great album."