Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 11/01/2005
Especially when compared to his explosion onto the
adult contemporary and
quiet storm radio scene in the '80s, the '90s weren't too kind to
Freddie Jackson. A longtime
soft rock radio staple, his instantly recognizable anthems began to show their wrinkles and cracks with their dated productions, and were slowly replaced with more current and polished productions. Thankfully, with
Personal Reflections Jackson reminds everyone why he was such a potent force in the great
quiet storm invasion of the '80s, and why his name belongs up there with some of the style's most well-known artists. This comeback album starts off in fine form with a fantastic and by the numbers cover of
Paul Davis' anthem
"I Go Crazy" and works its way through some of
soft rock's most cherished
ballads.
Jackson never strays too far from the course, thankfully doesn't attempt to demonstrate vocal acrobatics whenever there's a free space of music, and somehow manages to make one of
AM pop's most treasured songs (
Captain & Tennille's
"Do That to Me One More Time") sound like it was custom written for him, all within a reasonable and unbloated running time of 40 minutes. It's a solid statement that's filler-free, and one of his best works in over a decade.
Personal Reflections should help to reestablish
Freddie Jackson as one of contemporary
soul music's most beloved
quiet storm crooners.
~Rob Theakston, All Music Guide