Get Your "Woo Woo Woo" On With Jeffrey Osborne's "Ultimate Collection"
Written: Aug 23 '08 (Updated Aug 23 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: A good selection of Jeffrey Osborne's hits, both solo and with L.T.D.
Cons: A couple of lame attempts at dance-pop and overwrought balladry.
The Bottom Line: One of the most distinctive vocalists of his era, Jeffrey Osborne's solid body of work from 1982-1990 is compiled on this enjoyable "Ultimate Collection".
speeddemon531's Full Review: Ultimate Collection by Jeffrey Osborne
Of all the soul balladeers that came to prominence in the late Seventies and early Eighties-Lionel Richie, James Ingram and Teddy Pendergrass chief among them, it's arguable that Jeffrey Osborne has the most distinctive voice of the bunch. Slightly nasal and with a piercing quality during his most emotional moments, Osborne has one of those voices that you can identify within milliseconds of hearing it. Like Richie, he got his start as the frontman for a funk group-Richie with the Commodores, Osborne with L.T.D. That's not where the comparisons end. Both men left their respective bands and recorded their debut solo albums in 1982, and both achieved their biggest successes with pop-tinged ballads that stopped just short of easy listening. But while Richie's slow jams had a plainspoken, simple (and overtly pop) quality about them, Osborne's expressive voice added a little extra oomph to the proceedings. Unlike Richie, however, Osborne never forgot to make people groove, and his best songs often had a funky edge to them. Ultimate Collection collects the best of Osborne's solo work from 1982-1990, while also throwing in a couple of Seventies-era L.T.D. classics.
Jeffrey was obviously the focal point of L.T.D., as his unique voice was the only thing that stood out in what was otherwise a run-of-the-mill funk band. Their best known song was the almost-disco jam (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again. Jeffrey sounds positively jubilant on this song, jousting playfully with peppy horns and a rubbery bass. Holding On (When Love is Gone) has a more airy, fast-paced feel, while the oft-covered Love Ballad is a stately declaration of devotion that has found its' way into many a couple's wedding playlist. Although the four songs by the band are all great (with the fourth being the slow jam We Both Deserve Each Other's Love), you'll probably have to get an L.T.D. "Best of" in order to get the complete picture.
Jeffrey's solo work, most of it produced by former Frank Zappa sideman/legendary jazz keyboardist George Duke, is a little smoother than L.T.D.'s stuff from a musical standpoint. Very similar to Lionel Richie's post-Commodores work, the edges are not as rough. But unlike Lionel, Osborne didn't sell all the way out. While the songs on this collection are definitely a product of their era, Jeffrey was smart enough to leave the funk in. I Really Don't Need No Light is a dark-toned kiss off to a former lover (the chorus goes "I really don't need no light to see through you"), while Plane Love and She's on the Left are fairly aggressive dance-floor jams. The latter song is certainly the most hip-hop identified of any of Osborne's work, with some seriously knocking electronic percussion, while the former (included here in it's 12" remixed version produced by legendary disco DJ Larry Levan) offers an interesting story of a romantic liaison that begins on a cross-country flight.
Jeffrey's music stumbled when he went too far in either direction. His 1984 album "Don't Stop" was a major misstep, and the two songs from that album on this compilation, the over-caffeinated title track and The Borderlines sound like mindless aerobics music. It's all flash and no substance. On the other side, Jeffrey was also capable of taking his ballads to a cheesy extreme. Songs like We're Going All the Way and On The Wings of Love (probably his best known solo hit) are almost painful to listen to, with sappy string sections and psuedo-inspirational lyrics that recall the bad Disney movie themes of the Eighties and Nineties. The only R&B vocalist that pulled songs like these off well was James Ingram.
Those songs aside, this collection does a great job of cherry-picking Osborne's best material. He had good taste in duet partners, whether it was Mother's Finest vocalist Joyce Kennedy on the dramatic The Last Time I Made Love or Dionne Warwick on the sunny, summery Love Power. Only Human is a classily seductive slow jam that recalls the jazz-inflected music Anita Baker was doing during the same period, and no Jeffrey Osborne collection would be complete without 1986's You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song). It was his biggest pop hit, reaching #13 on the Billboard chart. It's got a dusky midtempo groove, and of course there's the chorus of "And you woo woo woo?". I have no clue what it means to "woo woo woo"...well I had no clue until about 10 seconds ago when I realized that he was just trying to extend the word "you". (wags finger) You're a sneaky man, Osborne!!
Jeffrey Osborne's Ultimate Collection is a rare case of a record company actually getting a hits compilation correct. Unless you're a hardcore Jeffrey Osborne fan, you'll find this album fairly exhaustive, without a single hit missing. In the event that you are a hardcore fan, then you've either got the studio albums that these songs originated from (most of which are still in print), or should look into the second Osborne anthology, "More of the Best". For the casual listener, though, Ultimate Collection offers a succinct and thoroughly enjoyable look at the career of one of the most talented and versatile R&B vocalists of his era.
"Ultimate Collection" by Jeffrey Osborne
Released 1999 on Hip-O/Universal Records
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Track Listing: Love Ballad/Holding On (When Love is Gone)/We Both Deserve Each Other's Love/On the Wings of Love/Don't You Get So Mad/I Really Don't Need No Light/Stay with Me Tonight/She's on the Left/Plane Love/You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)/We're Going All the Way/The Last Time I Made Love/Don't Stop/The Borderlines/Love Power/Only Human/(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again
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