1980
Written and Produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers
Rating:*** (Noteworthy)
After Ross split for a solo career, the Supremes slowly faded into obscurity, and by the end of the 70s, it looked like Ross was headed for a similar fate. Edwards and Rodgers came to the rescue with this album. In many ways, this was another Edwards-Rodgers album: they not only provided the bass and guitar but wrote and produced this set. While this helped put Ross back at the top, its success likely didn’t hurt Edwards-Rodgers. Most listeners simply saw this as a Ross album, but the recording industry likely took notice of the team behind the hits.
“Upside Down” jumpstarts the proceedings, but perhaps it would have been more effective to ease into that number because the rest of the set sounds quite weak after that opener. Fans of Edwards-Rodgers should get a bang out of “Upside Down,” “I’m Coming Out,” and perhaps a few other numbers, but much of the material is filler–only for hardcore fans of Ross.
— winch
Sounds Good 