Search - Pointer Sisters :: Special Things

Softer Sounding Toned Down Pointers

gassy goon | 12/28/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Not their best by a long shot, this originally released 1980 release saw the Pointers with an about face away from the rock & soul sounds from their previous 2 releases ENERGY and PRIORITY. It seems like a directive from their producer Richard Perry with this stylistic shift to a softer, somewhat bland style of singing & material. There isn't too much exciting on this CD. Best tracks by far are the dynamic EVIL with a surefire lead vocal by June , with an electric guitar solo and horns. It's like an antidote from most of these other tracks! And Anita's own song SPECIAL THINGS is a standout track - a message song produced sumptuously with percussion , guitars & Pointer harmonies.



It's all kind of toned down Pointers on the rest of the songs. Sure, HE'S SO SHY brought them a big hit, but I always found those Michael McDonald type keyboards so annoying, and the song was too teen oriented for the Pointers to sing. WE'VE GOT THE POWER is pretty good & has a full group performance that has a unifying, positive sound all the way around . But the rest of these songs are polite , watered down middle of the road duds. There are 2 Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer Sager songs which are good, but very adult contemporary: THE LOVE TOO GOOD TO LAST and WHERE DID THE TIME GO, which is nice with a beautiful lead vocal by June. It was released as a single and did not reach any chart on Billboard. But the biggest piece of fluff is SAVE THIS NIGHT FOR LOVE that does nothing for them, a song that again is lyrically far too teen oriented for Anita to be singing, and would have fitted someone like Stacy Lattisaw better. Anita's own COULD I BE DREAMIN' is a nice song, but just misses the mark at being a great Pointers classic single, and reached only #52. HERE IS WHERE YOUR HEART BELONGS is yet another ballad, with Ruth on lead, her only solo here. The Pointers & Perry mis-stepped on this album. To make them more palatable for the mainstream audience, he saddled them with adult contemporay songs like the Bacharach stuff, and toned down the Pointers innate talent at letting it all hang out.



And Wounded Bird has no clue at how to add a bonus track, taking the B-side MOVIN' ON from vinyl - you can hear the crackles. I wonder if they could not find the master? It's this song that the fans want as a real bonus on CD. Otherwise, the rest of the songs DO sound great on CD. A few really good songs, but not the greatest album that the Pointer Sisters made ."