When
Esther Williams'
Inside of Me was first released in 1981, there was a lot of talk about how disco had died. To hear some people tell it, disco was so out of fashion in 1981 that even
Donna Summer was trying to be new wave. But truth be told, disco was quite plentiful in 1981. Disco never died; it evolved and diversified, and new terms emerged in the ''80s (dance-pop, deep house, Hi-NRG).
Williams enjoyed some exposure in dance clubs in 1981, especially with her seductive hit "I'll Be Your Pleasure" (which opens this album).
Inside of Me, which the Brooklyn-based
Funky Town Grooves reissued on CD in 2011, doesn't get into Euro-disco at all; rather,
Williams favors a disco-soul approach (a la
Loleatta Holloway or
Jocelyn Brown) on club-friendly offerings such as "I'll Be Your Pleasure," "You Can Have It All," and "You Can Use It." But it would be a mistake to think that
Inside of Me is strictly an album of uptempo dance grooves. Actually, the slower jams are very much in the Philadelphia soul vein, including "You Are the Spice of My Life," "Ready for Love," and the title song. So even though some parts of this 36-minute CD are club-friendly, other parts of it have a lot of quiet storm appeal.
Inside of Me was not a huge commercial hit when it first came out on LP back in 1981; regardless, this is a solid effort from the talented but underexposed
Williams (who married Washington, D.C.-based jazz saxophonist
Davey Yarborough and shouldn't be confused with the actress who appeared in all those
MGM musicals in the '40s and '50s). And it is good to see
Inside of Me reissued on CD after being out of print for many years. ~ Alex Henderson
![Girl Talk [Expanded Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0851903003830_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Girl Talk [Expanded Edition]")
