Forever Charlie Charlie Wilson Artist

After five enjoyable 2000-2013 releases, a point at which {|Charlie Wilson|} could have been forgiven for delivering a poor or merely respectable album, he made one that's just as pleasing and upbeat as any solo work that preceded it. {|Wilson|} migh... Read more

After five enjoyable 2000-2013 releases, a point at which {|Charlie Wilson|} could have been forgiven for delivering a poor or merely respectable album, he made one that's just as pleasing and upbeat as any solo work that preceded it. {|Wilson|} might be short on ideas for album titles, but uplifting love songs -- many of which were made with wife {|Mahin Wilson|} and producer {|Greg Pagani|} -- continue to flow, and the singer's voice remains an energizing force. There are hints of nostalgia sprinkled throughout, like the gentle nod to {|the Gap Band|}'s Outstanding in Just Like Summertime, and a more overt reference to {|Carl Carlton|}'s She's a Bad Mama Jama in Sugar.Honey.Ice.Tea. The second half of the album gets an extra boost from a now-routine appearance from {|Snoop Dogg|} and some guitar from {|Pleasure|}'s {|Marlon McClain|}, as well as writing and production from {|Jimmy Jam|} and {|Terry Lewis|}. That latter duo, sometimes joined by {|the Avila Brothers|} and {|Val Young|}, assists on three songs, including a driving synth-funk jam that recalls {|Yarbrough & Peoples|}' Don't Stop the Music (a song that deeply involved {|Gap Band|} collaborator and supporter {|Lonnie Simmons|}) and their own work with {|the S.O.S. Band|}. Oh, and there's a reference to You Dropped a Bomb on Me in there too. Cynics could take it all as relying upon past glories, but the material is too fresh-sounding, too joyous, to disregard. ~ Andy Kellman Less