Betty Wright – Betty Wright

There are certain lesser-known albums that make you wonder why they underperformed and fell under the radar in the first place. Such an album is the late Miami soul queen, Betty Wright's 1981 self-titled debut for Epic Records. It came on the heels of her fruitful 13-year tenure on Alston Records, a subsidiary of TK Records, coming to an end. After middling chart showings and TK falling into financial decline, Wright jumped ship to Epic Records, in hopes of keeping her career afloat. The result was this sparkly product of post-disco soul, pairing Wright's distinctive voice with exuberant dance and funk and romantic soul of the day. While the album is best known for its infectious Stevie Wonder-produced lead single, "What Are You Going to Do With It," Wright stays true to her form over a slew of engaging numbers: white-hot funk grooves ("Give a Smile," "Dancin' on the One," and "Body Slang"), affecting quiet storm ballads ("One Bad Habit (And That's Loving You)" and her cover of "Indivisible"), and breezy mid-tempos ("I Like Your Loving" and "Make Me Love the Rain.") If that isn't enough to hold your attention, this album features an impressive all-star cast of musicians and collaborators that join Miss Wight, including Stevie Wonder, Phyllis Hyman, Cheryl Lynn, Teena Marie, Bobby Caldwell, Tito Jackson (of the Jackson 5/the Jacksons fame), and others. Although its musical fruits were sweet, this album barely made much of a blip, which is unfortunate because it's one of the solid post-Alston entries in Wright's canon.

Comes with inner lyric sleeve.