When Al Broomfields 1987, self-titled, album arrived on these shores, it was regarded as one of the finest albums of the Eighties by Soul fans. That accolade was richly deserved, as that album was right up there with the 'Rapture's' (Anita Baker) of that era. I remember the charts being topped by this album for weeks on end. Al comes from a family of nine children, whose ranks include Dee Dee and Eugene Wilde. Very talented family.
Al has been in touch with me recently regarding a new project he is working on, which is great news. Can't have someone of his calibre sitting around, can we? Not many people are aware of his second, 1991 album. That set, unfairly, came and went without a fanfare, perhaps due to the time lapse between releases?
Al's first album was, as I have already mentioned, a fine affair. The very first track, 'Where Do I Go From Here?', really sets the highest standard and what follows on is more of the same. The radio stations picked up on that track, along with 'Don't Cover Up Your Feelings' and 'Is It So Hard'. It is hard to pick a favourite from this set, although the latter of that trio is quite excellent. On the ballad side 'Through All The Years' is quite beautiful. If you don't have this album, you really need to own a copy. A very fine Soul album.
Al's 1991 album was another fine offering. I never could understand how his first set was received so well, whilst this set, well, wasn't really received at all! We were notified, prior to this release, via a twelve from this album called 'I Won't Rush You'. The killer tune here has to be the title track, which is a bright and breezy dancer, that has the chorus swirling around in the grey matter. Lovely stuff. I used to play this song at various venues and folks always asked after the tune. This album was released on N'Effect Records, whilst his debut came out on the Vision imprint. Al Broomfield is a very underrated singer and I am looking forward to the new material.
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