Released: April 1982
This is it.
The apex of Patrice Rushen commercially and (perhaps) artistically. I think Posh is stronger song-by-song, but Straight From The Heart has higher peaks. Anyways, this album launched a thousand hip-hop samples and helped fuel the Men in Black craze 15 years later.
We won’t hold the latter against Patrice, but she did get paid. This is why you write your own music, kids.
The Jams
If you know only one Patrice Rushen song, you know “Forget Me Nots”. The biggest hit of her career (#4 R&B, #23 pop, #2 disco, and even #8 UK), the song is first and foremost built upon an absolutely wicked bass line from Freddie Washington, who got a co-write on it.
Although it is a dance song, it is a slow dance song and has the best kind of Patrice Rushen lyrics: creative longing. I mean who thinks to write a lyric such as “sending forget me nots, to help me to remember”? Patrice Rushen, that’s who.
There’s also some smooth 80s sax courtesy of Gerald Albright. Lastly, the song owes a lot to Hall & Oates’s “Private Eyes”. I don’t think it’s an accident they both have super catchy handclaps.
Next up is “I Was Tired of Being Alone”. An appropriate follow up since it concludes the lost nature of “Forget Me Nots” with the joy of found love. The dancin’ continues on “All We Need”, which concludes the opening troika of vampin’. Longtime Rushen collaborator Roy Galloway provides co-lead vocals on this song, which I suppose symbolizes that the misery of “Forget Me Nots” is fully gone. The two singers wail away about how each is all the other needs.
Side 1 finishes up with a jazz-funk instrumental in “Number One”, which might be the best instrumental of her career. Hell, I think it is.
The Slow Jams
Side 2, for the most part, is full of Quiet Storm classics. “Where There Is Love” returns us to Patrice being smitten with the riddle of love.
“Remind Me” in particular has some great lyrics.
I can recall a certain magic in your eyes
I'm under your spell each time that you appear
A kiss so passionate that has me mesmerized
I fall more in love each time that you are near
It also has a killer groove provided by James Gadson’s rock solid drummin’ and Patrice’s keyboard. Ain’t no surprise a million rappers done sampled this track.
After that funky workout, the album ends with “(She Will) Take You Down to Love”. Ain’t no funk here, but there is splendid percussion (by the omnipotent Paulinho Da Costa) and acoustic guitar.
The Ugly Ducklings
I kinda hate “Breakout!”. It’s a weak effort at rock that sticks out like a sore thumb on this album.
“If Only” ain’t as bad, but it would work better if co-writer Syreeta Wright sang it. Her voice is much more powerful than Rushen’s and this song needs an expert vocalist to make it work its finest magic, since it’s a slow-burning ballad. Under Rushen’s vocals it sounds okay.
Vocals aside, it also sounds incomplete. The song fades out at three minutes just as it sounds like it’s building up to its climax and conclusion. Me thinks there’s a longer take out there in the vaults that was cut short to fit onto this LP.
ALBUM GRADE: B+
Side 1 goes off without a hitch, while Side 2 has the ugly ducklings. Honestly, if “Breakout!” had been excised, Side 2 would have been able to flow well enough with “If Only” sandwiched between the very good “Where There Is Love” and the awesome “Remind Me”.
And this album as a whole woulda got an A-.
Oh well. B+ it is. Blame “Breakout!”
Commercially, this album was a smash for Patrice: #4 R&B and even #14 pop as white folks decided to give her some attention! She received Grammy nominations for Best R&B Instrumental (“Number One”) and Best R&B Vocal (“Forget Me Nots”). Sadly this was her apex as the ensuing two albums were major letdowns.
Song Scores
Forget Me Nots: 10/10
I Was Tired of Being Alone: 8/10
All We Need: 7/10
Number One: 8.5/10
Where There Is Love: 8/10
Breakout!: 4/10
If Only: 6/10
Remind Me: 9.5/10
(She Will) Take You Down to Love: 8/10