Customer Reviews

Winner In You

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title song of 'Winner In You' is pleasantly theatrical and I have plenty of fond childhood memories of "On My Own" but,once again Patti cooks best on her uptempo dance songs and there are some great ones here!"Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight" and "Twisted" both shine in the same,brassy
synth-soul vein of "New Attitude" whitch is something this lady
has plenty of.Patti's "Greatest Hits" collections are recommended
highly but as albums go this and her 1977 Epic debut are the only
available full-lengh Patti Labelle albums you'll ever need!

'Winner in You' is a great CD. Now you may be thinking, 'Why buy this CD when I can buy a greatest hits compilation?". To that I will say there are some tracks here not available on Patti's greatest hits CDs that should not be missed. Of course everyone knows 'On My Own'. But don't over look the power of 'Oh People', and the sweetness of 'Kiss Away the Pain'. Those tracks are not to be missed.

WINNER IN YOU is a winner, a fun upbeat album from Patti Labelle, the voice! The album spawned the two hit singles "Oh People" and "On My Own" which was a duet with Michael McDonald, and later covered by Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and Linda Davis on Reba's 1995 album STARTING OVER. The album spent one week at #1 in 1986, sadly the last album of Patti's which accomplished this feat. There's some strong material on this album, lots of uptempo synthesized tracks, this was the 80s. Some highlights of uptempo tracks include "Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight)", "Twisted", "You're Mine Tonight", and "Beat My Heart Like A Drum". There are also some really captivating ballads from Patti, such as "Kiss Away The Pain", "Sleep With Me Tonight", "Finally We're Back Together" and "There's A Winner In You" (from the play Pipes). Overall WINNER IN YOU is exactly that, a WINNER, and worth checking out, even for the casual Patti Labelle fan.

In my opinion, Miss Patti, is one of the best female rhythm & blues singer of our time. With this album, she has created a base of loyal fans. With Winner In You, she has indeed a musical identity of her own. The most beautiful song in this album, On My Own, a marvelous duet with Michael McDonald, proves that she simply is'nt just another female singer. She starts the song in her lower vocal range and ends it literally soaring, reaching the very top of her range. One of her best. A winning diva all the way!

Patti LaBelle is one of the most respected and best r&b vocalists in music history. Going back to her days with the Blue Belles in the early sixties to her 70's days with LaBelle she flirted with major success, evening having a number one hit with the classic "Lady Marmalade". Despite these brushes with success (and numerous hits on the r&b charts), she more or less went unnoticed on the pop charts. Finally in 1986, she had a major hit with Winner In You. The album was spurred on by her marvelous duet with Michael McDonald, "On My Own". The song has a great melody and standout vocal performances and it spent a well deserved four weeks at number one. The album has alot more to offer including "Twisted", "Kiss Away The Pain", "You're Mine Tonight", "Sleep with Me Tonight" and "Something Special". The album became her one of and only number one, spending one week on the top in the summer of 1986. Unfortunately, she has not made the top ten since and it's a crime that someone of Ms. LaBelle's talent doesn't have more chart success.

While listening to her newest release "When a Woman Loves," I decided to review one of her 80's issues: "The Winner in You." The former produced two hits "On My Own" (a duet with Michael McDonald) and "There's a Winner in You." However, the Richard Perry-produced cuts "Oh, People," "Twisted," "Beat My Heart Like a Drum," and "You're Mine Tonight" are indicative of the range and dynamics of Miss LaBelle's magnificent voice.

The touching "Kiss Away the Pain" is another outstanding tune on this overall "winning" composition.

For the uninitiated "Winner" is a good introduction to the majesty of Patti LaBelle!