Some
Gladys Knight
fans think that she didn't record as a solo artist until the early 1990s. But in fact, her first solo albums came in the late 1970s, when she provided 1978's
Miss Gladys Knight
for
Buddah
and 1979's
Columbia
. Neither album was a huge seller; only her most diehard fans bought the LPs. The singer's second, and self-titled, solo album isn't remarkable, but is a generally decent effort that ranges from R&B/adult contemporary ballads (
"You Loved Away the Pain,"
"I Just Want to Be With You,"
"My World"
) to up-tempo soul-disco offerings like
"You Bring Out the Best in Me"
and
"You Don't Have to Say I Love You,"
both of which would appeal to a
Loleatta Holloway
or
Thelma Houston
fan. Meanwhile, the vibrant,
Earth, Wind & Fire
-ish
"It's the Same Old Song"
isn't unlike something that
EWF
leader
Maurice White
would have produced for the
Emotions
in the late 1970s, and
Knight
's version of
Leiber & Stoller
's
"I (Who Have Nothing)"
recalls her dramatic 1964 hit
"Giving Up."
This LP, which she produced with
Jack Gold
, isn't recommended to casual listeners, who would be much better off with an anthology of her classic
Motown
recordings with the
Pips
. But it's a likable record that is worth hearing if you're among
's hardcore fans. ~ Alex Henderson