LP Review: Cheryl Lynn
Released: 1978
LP Charts: #5 R&B, #23 pop
Cheryl Lynn’s debut album would easily be her most successful commercially. Cheryl Lynn crested higher than any of her other albums on the pop and R&B charts and the album possessed her signature song, “Got To Be Real” (#1 R&B, #12 pop, #11 disco).
The musicians on this LP include Ray Parker Jr, Steve Luthaker, and David T. Walker (guitar); James Gadson and Bernard Purdie (drums); Joe Porcaro and Harvey Mason (percussion); David Shields and Chuck Rainey (bass); and David Paich (keyboards). Not too bad getting all these R&B and El Lay session cats on your debut.
But is this merely an album coasting off the success of one smash single?
Well that question isn’t immediately answered cuz the opening track is that smash single: “Got To Be Real”. The song was written by Lynn, along with David Foster and Toto machine David Paich.* The track pretty clearly inspired by “Best of My Love” by the Emotions. Not surprising because Foster was a huge fan of Earth, Wind & Fire who produced and played the music on that Emotions song. Foster would soon go from EWF super-fan to co-producing EWF’s hugely successful I Am album in 1979.
*Lynn would contribute prominent vocals on one of Toto’s first singles, “Georgy Porgy”.
The good news is that “Got To Be Real” isn’t a carbon-copy of “Best of My Love”. It adds its own touches attaining status as an R&B-disco classic in its own right. First and foremost it has an amazing horn chart. The album-version is far superior to the single because there’s a 90-second breakdown where the horns get to just blast away.
Also, Lynn’s vocals are impeccably sassy. And the bass guitar is pretty sick. Lastly, I must admit tremendous nostalgia with this song since it was played almost every Friday afternoon on car rides with my mom.
Okay, next song is the funk-rock “All My Lovin’”. It is also a pretty solid song, but that’s because it also was inspired by a huge ‘70s hit: “You Got the Love” by Rufus & Chaka Khan, which was co-written by Khan and Parker, Jr. Small music world.
AN INTERLUDE OF (QUASI-)MISSTEPS
“Star Love” — starts off promising as a ballad with Lynn singing dramatically over some electronic keyboards. However, it falls to pieces at the 1:20 minute as the rest of the song is the same repetitive stereotypical disco bass and drumming. It’d be bearable at 4:30 minutes, but it chugs along to 7:24 at which point you’re exhausted.
“Nothing You Say” — is slowed down to the pace of a blues song and is okay. The sound quality sounds like a demo, though.
“You’re the One” — perfunctory ballad perfuncts.
“Come In From The Rain” is a pleasant mild ballad composed by Carole Bayer Sager and Melissa Manchester. “You Saved My Day” is also mildly pleasant albeit with a bit more disco funkiness to it.
Ray Parker, Jr. and Cheryl Lynn co-wrote the spectacular “Give My Love To You”. It is pop-soul at its best, particularly the the build-up starting at the 1:30 mark that reaches it climax at 2:10 with Lynn belting away. For the rest of the song she’s just ad libbing over a band that’s enjoying producing some feel-good vibes. The final 30 seconds or so feature a funky breakdown where Parker’s guitar is choppin’ it up.
Best song on the LP behind “Got to be Real”.
Lynn’s best technical vocal performance is probably on “Daybreak (Storybook Children)”. A little too Broadway for my tastes, but I can appreciate that it is a good showstopping (or in this case, album-closing) song.
ALBUM GRADE: C+
So this album isn’t built entirely on the strength of “Got To Be Real”, but it’s undeniable that’s the selling point. Three other songs are legit good, two are fine, and two more are okay. And then there’s “Star Love”… Ugh.
In the end a very strong C+.
Song Scores
Got to Be Real: 9/10
All My Lovin’: 7.5/10
Star Love: 3/10
Come In From the Rain: 6.5/10
You Saved My Day: 6.5/10
Give My Love To You: 8/10
Nothing You Say: 6/10
You’re the One: 6/10
Daybreak (Storybook Children): 7/10