Somewhere in My Lifetime, Phyllis Hyman's second album (but her first for Arista), is similar to many of her efforts: a great singer, but too many so-so songs. The album starts off with a cover of Exile's disco/pop hit, "Kiss You All Over"; despite her best attempts, the horrible lyrics and the song's origins make this a waste of precious studio time. The lachrymose title-track ballad, produced by Barry Manilow and Ron Dante, finds Hyman's voice poorly recorded and placed into a schmaltzy arrangement. Still, the album features quite a few of the songs she came to be identified with: "The Answer Is You," "Gonna Make Changes," and Gary Glenn's "Be Careful (How You Treat My Love)," all skillfully produced by then-husband Larry Alexander and Skip Scarborough. The song "Be Careful" followed the Norman Connors example of providing Hyman with a sympathetic arrangement, then getting the best take possible. After all of the botched crossover attempts and so-so dance moves, Somewhere in My Lifetime ended on a good note. "Here's That Rainy Day" has her accompanied only by a piano, and she turns in an affecting performance, neither self-pitying nor melodramatic. Although this effort had a few career-threatening detours, Hyman's charisma and some solid songs make this a solid effort.
Somewhere in My Lifetime
Phyllis Hyman
Share on
Somewhere in My Lifetime Review
by Jason Elias
Track Listing
Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Phyllis Hyman | 05:12 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
2 | Phyllis Hyman | 03:30 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
3 | Phyllis Hyman | 02:57 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
4 | Phyllis Hyman | 05:10 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
5 | Phyllis Hyman | 04:43 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
6 | Phyllis Hyman | 04:00 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
7 | Phyllis Hyman | 06:17 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
8 | Phyllis Hyman | 04:19 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
9 | Phyllis Hyman | 03:35 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
10 | Phyllis Hyman | 03:06 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
11 | Phyllis Hyman | 06:18 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
12 | Phyllis Hyman | 09:02 | SpotifyAmazon |