Verve
2008
Back To Now
About This Album
Given the state of reunion albums, the average rate of success is usually one in ten if that; ergo, Labelle's first offering since 1976's Nightbirds could have been a stone disaster. It's not; in fact, it's far from it. The trio of Nona Hendryx, Patti Labelle, and Sarah Dash assembled a crew of kickin' producers with real pedigrees: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Lenny Kravitz (is there a bigger retro boss?), Kit Lambert and Hendryx. The one nod to the kids (who probably won't get it anyway) is the Wyclef Jean-produced leavin' jam "Rollout," on which he appears (why on earth he felt he needed to place AutoTune on a Labelle record is beyond imagination -- it's irritating to vintage fans). That isn't to say this is a set of old-school sounding production, but more that the updated sound feels more organic and warm, and thank God the disc is not loaded with guest appearances or ham-fisted duets. Some cuts are a little obvious, such as "The Truth Will Set You Free," with its 1970s anthemic socio-political "us" vibe -- but if 2008 isn't the year of African-American empowerment, with Barack Obama being elected the 44th president of the United States, then there isn't one.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,6 and 8)

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