Radiant in Bloomington, MN

Both creatively and commercially,
Radiant
was a major step forward for
Atlantic Starr
-- and the person they can thank is
James Carmichael
. This 1981 release was the first album that
Carmichael
produced for the band, whose two previous LPs (
in 1978 and
Straight to the Point
in 1979) were decent but not great.
needed to get to the next level, and
obviously gave the White Plains, NY, combo the sort of guidance, direction, and constructive criticism it needed to make the transition from decent to excellent.
gets off to an impressive start with the haunting single
"When Love Calls,"
and the material that follows is equally strong. That is true whether
is getting into sentimental
soul
ballads
(
"Am I Dreaming,"
"Send for Me"
) or tough, gritty
funk
"Think About That,"
"Under Pressure"
). One of the band's greatest assets on this LP is lead singer
Sharon Bryant
;
brings out the best in her, and she really soars on
as well as
"My Turn Now"
and the hit
"Am I Dreaming"
(a male/female duet with fellow lead singer
David Lewis
). But
Bryant
isn't the only lead vocalist who excels on this record.
David
and
Wayne Lewis
are also fine singers;
"Send for Me,"
in fact, boasts one of
Wayne
's most memorable performances. And once again,
deserves much of the credit -- he pushed
the Lewis Brothers
to excel just as he pushed
to excel. With
's help,
went down in history as one
's finest and most essential albums. ~ Alex Henderson