Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 09/24/1991
Run Time: 49:30
James Ingram racked up a number of
adult contemporary-styled
R&B pop hits in the 1980s, many of them duets, and the bulk of those hits are collected on this 12-track 1991 compilation. His music may at times seem somewhat melodramatic, registering on the
pop spectrum somewhere between
Michael Bolton and
Billy Ocean, but nonetheless exemplifies top-notch 1980s
adult contemporary pop production at its zenith. This set includes his two hit duets with
Patti Austin, those being
"How Do You Keep the Music Playing" and their timeless chart-topper
"Baby Come to Me." Also included is his monster duet with
Linda Ronstadt,
"Somewhere Out There," and his hit duet with
Michael McDonald, the funky
"Yah Mo B There" (definitely one of
Ingram's coolest songs). A few rarities make an appearance, including
"Where Did My Heart Go?" from the film
City Slickers, and the
BET theme
"Remember the Dream." To round out the collection are his solo hits, among them the Grammy-winning
"Just Once," "One Hundred Ways," and his only solo chart-topper,
"I Don't Have the Heart." Buyer beware, however, because a more "extensive" hits collection,
Forever More, was issued in 1999, with newly recorded (and inferior) versions of
"Just Once," "One Hundred Ways," and
"I Don't Have the Heart." To this date, however, this short set stands as the definitive
James Ingram retrospective.
~Jose Promis, All Music Guide