Brenda Russell

• Brenda Russell [Horizon, 1979] B+
• Greatest Hits [A&M, 1992]

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Brenda Russell [Horizon, 1979]
If it's pop you crave, slow down a minute and check this out--eight love songs, all in sensual-to-pert medium tempos, all sweetly hooky. Russell's singing is breathy, soulish, and trickier than it seems, and though her lyrics are sometimes quite clumsy, they always sound felt and particular. Even the string arrangements avoid the vague and saccharine, especially those by David Wolfert, who produced Dusty Springfield's best album of the '70s. The material isn't as powerful, but this reminds me more than a little of Dusty's best album of the '60s, and that's high praise. B+

Greatest Hits [A&M, 1992]