Syreeta – The Spell (1983)

Tracklisting:
1. Forever Is Not Enough
2. (You Are) The Spell
3. Freedom
4. To Know
5. Freddie Um Ready
6. Once Love Touches Your Life
7. Fall Apart
8. The Other Me

Source: Vinyl LP
Format: VBR V0 MP3, FLAC
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If the name Syreeta Wright rings a bell, it’s likely due to her association with Stevie Wonder, to whom she was married briefly, and who also produced two of her early albums, 1972’s Syreeta and 1974’s Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta. From there she released several albums under Motown’s Tamla label, including duet albums with G.C. Cameron and Billy Preston, that flickered at times, but failed to meet the promise her flawless voice always seemed to provide. This album was the last she cut as a solo artist, and as she had built a reputation for strong ballads, this album was very much a departure from the usual. Produced by Jermaine Jackson — yes, Michael’s big brother, this album latches on to the new wavey, synth-laden more rock-sounding pop sound of the early ’80s for much of its duration. However, thanks to the efforts of the well-traveled studio warriors providing the backing tracks (Ndugu Chancler, Paul Jackson, Jr., Ollie Brown, and all three of the Porcaro brothers from Toto — Jeff, Mike, and even Steve appear on Side 2 of this record), Jermaine’s magic touch as producer, and Syreeta’s unwavering voice, it ends up anything but dull. Oh yeah, Stevie Wonder does appear on this record, well in the background; he’s billed has having played synthesizer on the album’s infectious opener, “Forever Is Not Enough” and bass synthesizer on “Freedom” — right on the vinyl’s side labels itself (as if to make sure the listener knows there’s some trace of Stevie on the record).

Jermaine Jackson makes a few appearances himself on this record, backing Syreeta on the heavenly “To Know” and singing beside her in the duet “Once Love Touches Your Life” (backed with an impeccable Porcaro beat); listening to his appearances here make you wonder where he ever went wrong as an artist (action figure-inspired hairstyles aside). One of the most engaging songs on this collection is the opener to side 2, “Freddie Um Ready”. Syreeta’s sultry performance, Jeff Porcaro’s drums, the melody that might make you think a little bit of Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster”, it all comes together impeccably. Overall, though this album failed to make noise in the crowded music scene of 1983, it’s not a bad note to leave on. There was supposed to be a CD reissue of this album sometime ago; it never materialized. Perhaps Universal (as per usual) was being extra stingy with their back catalog. An amusing side note: this album was also marketed (with a sticker affixed to the shrink wrap), “As Seen On The TV Special: Motown 25 – Yesterday, Today, Forever”.