Track Listing

1. Classy Lady
2. Nice And Easy
3. You Make It Happen
4. Paradise
5. She's Got It
6. Nobody But You
7. Stay At It

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38502 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

Halfway To Paradise
This remaster is a straightforward reissue of a long-out-of-print US LP by soul/funk man LEROY HUTSON - "Paradise" was issued on Elektra E1 60141 in July 1982 - reissued here in October 2007 - and unlike most of the other CDs in this Rhino series - it has no bonus tracks (39:00 minutes).

"Paradise" is very much of the time, funky guitars, Kool And The Gang sounding keyboards with Earth, Wind and Fire brass fills - all of it underlined by slappy bass lines. The shadows of Chic's "Risqué", George Benson's "Give Me The Night" and Change's "The Glow Of Love" loom over the whole album - and you can 'so' hear where Maxwell got his sound and style from.

Highlights include the party opener of "Classy Lady", the Grover Washington Jnr's "Winelight" feel of "Paradise" and the almost Kid Creole & The Coconuts salsa funkiness of "Nobody But You". There's also the Jerry Butler co-written "You Make It Happen" and "Nice & Easy" - a pair of sweet mid-tempo smoochers. But it's not all good of course. "She's Got It" opens with a telephone ringing, then a toilet flushing (I kid you not) then a deep Barry White type voice goes into loverman spiel - it's awful. A shame that, because the groove of the tune is actually quite good. The dance floor funk of "Stay At It" sounds a little dated too.

Long time tape supremo BILL INGLOT has remastered the album and the sound is great - funky and muscular.

The album itself though is only ok - a few good tracks here and there - but without bonus material, it feels a little threadbare. 3 out of 5. Ronn Matlock's "Love City" is a far better soul and funk LP (see separate review).

PS: This release is part of Rhino's "CLASSIC SOUL ALBUM - REMASTERED & EXPANDED" Series.
Most titles are first time onto CD and are rare soul albums from the Warner/Atlantic/Cotillion/Elektra vaults.
Some other titles are:

1. Ace Spectrum - "Inner Spectrum" (see REVIEW)
2. Blue Magic - "Blue Magic" (see REVIEW)
3. Donny Hathaway - "Come Back Charleston Blue O.S.T." (see REVIEW)
4. Ronn Matlock - "LOve City" (see REVIEW)
5. Gwen McCrae - "Gwen McCrae"
6. Gwen McCrae - "On My Way"
7. Prince Phillip Mitchell - "Top Of The Line"
8. Prince Philip Mitchell - "Make It Good" (see REVIEW)
9. The Voices Of East Harlem -"Right On Be Free" (see REVIEW)