Genre: soul
Rating: ** (2 stars)
Title: Contact
Company: Invictus
Catalog: SMAS 7307
Year: 1971
Country/State: --
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: gatefold, fold out sleeve; small cut out hole in front cover
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4308
Price: $20.00
Cost: $66.00
While it sports a
knock-you-to-the-floor, three panel cover (darn Freda Payne was one hot
babe), 1971's "Contact"
was a minor disappointment to my ears. This time around
producers/writers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland seem to
have decided that Payne's future lay in a more MOR oriented sound.
Mind you, tracks such as 'Suddenly It's Yesterday' and 'The Road We Didn't
Take' were okay, but Payne's sweet voice was largely wasted on the
suprisingly anonymous material. Why in the world would anyone bother
trying to make her sound like a second rate Diana Ross - aka the
over-the-top ''I'm Not Getting Any Better'? Adding to the problem,
much of the album suffered from gross over-orchestrated. On tracks
such as 'You've Got To Love Somebody (Let Me In)' Payne was all but drowned
out by strings and waves of backing singers. That said, Invictus
stable of writers was simply too talented to churn out an album without a
couple of first rate songs. In this case 'You Brought the Joy' was a
great up tempo dance number, while 'Bring the Boys Home' may be the best
anti-war song ever written. Direct, to the point and boasting a
wonderful melody, Payne and company deserved considerable credit for being
willing to sacrifice airplay and sales by tapping the latter as a single -
'Bring the Boys Home' b/w 'I Shall Not Be Moved' (Invictus catalog number IS
9092).
"Contact" track listing:
(side
1)
1.) I'm Not Getting Any Better (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 6:45
2.) Suddenly It's Yesterday (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 4:24
3.) You Brought the Joy (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 3:00
4.) Bring the Boys Home (A. Bond - Greg Perry - General Johnson) - 3:22
5.) You've Got To
Love Somebody (Let Me In) (W. Weatherspoon - R. Miner) - 3:01
(side 1)
1.) Prelude (instrumental) (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 0:53
2.) The Road We Didn't Take (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 4:17
3.) Odds and Ends (General Johnson - Greg Perry) - 3:50
4,( Cherish What Is Dear To You (While It's Near To You) (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - A. Bond) - 3:56
5.) I Shall Not Be Moved (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 2:43
6.) Mama's Gone (General Johnson - Greg Perry - Ronald Dunbar) - 3:23