As the leader of
Graham Central Station,
Larry Graham was responsible for some of the nastiest, grittiest, most gutbucket funk of the 1970s. But when he launched a solo career with 1980s
One in a Million You, the singer/electric bassist surprised the R&B world by emphasizing ballads. And if anyone doubted that
Graham's fans wanted to hear him doing a lot of romantic crooning, their fears were put to rest when this LP's sentimental title song became a major hit and Warner Bros. successfully released
Graham's remake of "When We Get Married" (previously recorded by the Dreamlovers and
the Intruders) as the follow-up single. This isn't to say that
One in a Million You is devoid of up-tempo material; one of the best things on the album is the very danceable and infectious "I Just Can't Stop Dancing." Nonetheless, the LP is best-known for its ballads. "I Just Can't Stop Dancing" was meant to recall "Dance to the Music," a
Sly & the Family Stone smash that
Graham had played on in the late '60s -- although the song is equally mindful of 1960s Motown and has an appealing personality of its own. Less impressive is "I'm So Glad It's Summer Again," which is nothing more than a poor man's "Hot Fun in the Summertime." But this album's strengths by far outweigh its weaknesses, and
One in a Million You is enthusiastically recommended to R&B lovers. ~ Alex Henderson