Atlantic Starr's fifth album,
Yours Forever, was lead singer
Sharon Bryant's last album with the East Coast soulsters; it was also the last of three albums that
James Carmichael produced for them. While 1981's
Radiant and 1982's
Brilliance -- the two previous
Atlantic Starr LPs that
Carmichael had produced -- were superb, this 1983 release is uneven. That isn't to say that
Yours Forever is a bad album; none of the material is terrible. But this time, there aren't as many five-star gems. The songs that deserve to be exalted as gems range from the haunting smash
"Touch a Four Leaf Clover" and the
rock-tinged
"Tryin" (both of which feature
Bryant) to the dreamy title song (which finds
David Lewis providing a memorable lead vocal). Unfortunately,
Yours Forever also has its share of songs that are merely competent. Take
"I Want Your Love," for example. This
Chic-like sophisti-
funk/dance number (which shouldn't be confused with the 1978
Chic hit that is also titled
"I Want Your Love") is pleasant enough, but it isn't in a class with
"Circles," "When Love Calls," "Love Me Down," and other treasures that
Carmichael had produced for
Atlantic Starr in 1981 or 1982. For
Atlantic Starr fans, hearing
Yours Forever in 1983 was like receiving beer when you had grown accustomed to champagne -- if
Radiant and
Brilliance were
R&B feasts,
Yours Forever is merely a snack. It isn't a disaster, but it doesn't live up to the consistently high standards that had characterized
Atlantic Starr's previous work with
Carmichael. Of the three albums that
Carmichael produced for
Atlantic Starr in the early '80s,
Yours Forever is the least essential and the most inconsistent. ~ Alex Henderson
![Layover [Version C]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0196922461934_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Layover [Version C]")