LP Review: Shine
Released: 1980
LP Charts: #38 R&B, #116 Pop
Well, if Feel No Fret had influences of LA pop, Shine is a full-on LA pop album as Average White Band moved to Arista Records. That El Lay sheen is everywhere on this 1980 release, even down to the production and songwriting of David Foster. That man loved him some Earth, Wind & Fire style horn stabs.
None of this is inherently bad, but AWB’s own distinctive sound gets pushed further into the background than it already was on the Feel No Fret LP, where 1/3 of the songs felt like imports from a random Los Angeles sound studio.
When the needle drops and “Our Time Has Come” opens Shine, you can just feel the ocean mist carry over your sail boat. This thing has that ubiquitous Yacht Rock hammering piano and that inoffensively wispy electric guitar riffing in the background. Can we have anything more blandly Yacht Rock?
Other average tunes include an Adult Contemporary ballad in “For You, For Love”; their attempt at “Whatcha' Gonna Do For Me” which is too tepid especially considering how Chaka Khan just a year later turned that same song into a hot jam; and “Catch Me (Before I Have To Testify)” tries too hard to be hip.
“Help Is On the Way”? False advertising because that song underwhelms. Even more horrible sounds follow in “If Love Lasts For One Night”. That schlocky ballad is easily the worst AWB song recorded yet.
Okay, so after all that mediocrity, is there anything good or at least redeeming on this album? Why, yes. Yes, there is.
Life can be found in “Let’s Go Round Again”. It’s a rather standard post-disco song. Even has sweeping strings, a first for AWB. But I’ll desperately take this given you can earnestly dance and snap your fingers to it.
Blessed be “Into the Night”, a funky instrumental that finds AWB sounding the most like AWB. Lastly, “Shine” is a rip-off of EWF, but hell, at least it’s a competent rip-off.
ALBUM GRADE: D+
Average White Band sounds like an average white band, so do you really need this?
Yeah, I can barely recommend this to only the most diehard of AWB completists.
Song Scores
Our Time Has Come: 5/10
For You, For Love: 5/10
Let’s Go Round Again: 6.5/10
Whatcha' Gonna Do For Me: 6/10
Into the Night: 7/10
Catch Me (Before I Have To Testify): 5/10
Help Is On the Way: 4/10
If Love Lasts For One Night: 3/10
Shine: 6/10