The last of
the Stylistics'
Thom Bell productions is just as essential as the first two. This one is slightly harder to find, as it has not been reissued in the States. It has been reissued by a United Kingdom company, however, and can be purchased via online music stores. The title cut is possibly the fastest record the sweet Philly crooners ever recorded. The late
Linda Creed's lyrics fit the speedy rhythm track like custom gloves and lead singer
Russell Thompkins enunciates every word clearly, making a lyric sheet unnecessary.
Kenny Gamble collaborates with
Bell on "Payback Is a Dog," a what-goes-around-comes-around song performed in
the Stylistics' classic style. Normally writers for
the Spinners,
Bruce Hawes,
Charles Simmons, and
Joe Jefferson contribute the questioning "Could This Be the End," a ballad that
Thompkins' precise falsetto works to perfection. Everybody knows "You Make Feel Brand New";
Airrion Love begins the stately love song and
Thompkins takes it home shining brightly, hitting the notes with the precision of a diamond cutter. With
Thompkins it's all about technique, and on the
Bell sides he was always restrained -- just once you wanted him to cut loose and let that falsetto go hog-wild. Overall, not as compelling as the first two
Bell productions, but a far cry better then anything that came after it. ~ Andrew Hamilton