Our love caught up in the middle I cry just a little when I think of letting go...

The late 80s was the last hurrah for the mature-pop wonders before Nirvana and gangsta rap threw all that into "elevatormusicland". One of the other casualties of this is the idea of black singers as adult contemporary singers. Either you had to be "street" or white. No inbetween. A shame, since it spells doom not only for singers but for songwriters, one of whom is Brenda Russell. Best known for #1) writing "Get Here" which became insanely popular for singer Oleta Adams during the whole Desert Storm thing even with the line "cross the desert like an Arab man", and #2) having a top 10 song of her own, "Piano In The Dark" with Joe Esposito (the member of the group Brooklyn Dreams that wasn't Mr. Donna Summer). 1992's Greatest Hits of course includes these two songs, as well as eight other breezy, unassuming, cafe-pumping tunes.

Starting with "Piano In the Dark", which is still just as cool as when it first was out, it the highlight out of the box. However coming close behind is the uplifting "So Good So Right", a perfect slow jam for the wee hours (see Joemygod's blurb on "Morning Music"). Definitely afterglow music. Oddly enough though, right next comes "Kiss Me With The Wind", where producer Narada Michael Walden (of Aretha's "Freeway Of Love" fame) gets his Stock Aitken Waterman (of Bananarama/Kylie Fame) groove on. Somehow the faux-disco doesnt fit next to such a good screw song like "So Good So Right". Then we're jolted right back with Russell's original version of "Get Here", as well as her version of her composition for the bomb Donna Summer single "Dinner With Gershwin". The rest of the album consists of lite-jazz moves, even pulling out David Sanborn for "Le Restaurant". All in all, Greatest Hits is half inspired and half well performed but noneventful background music. It does miss a couple minor singles ("gonna Do My Best To Love You" and "Gravity") if you're looking for all the hits. It's probably best to enjoy the great singles "Piano in the Dark" and "So Good So Right" if you can find them individually or on a compilation, and "Get Here" from Oleta Adams (I love me some Oleta).

Grade: C+
Best Cuts: "So Good So Right", "Piano In the Dark"
Weakest Link: "Justice In Truth" "Way Back When"

Brenda Russell's Greatest Hits did not chart.
"Piano In The Dark" hit #6 pop, #3 adult contemporary, #8 R&B, and #23 in the UK.
"So Good, So Right" hit #30 pop, #15 R&B.
"Get Here" made #37 R&B.
"Stop Running Away" made #34 R&B.
"Way Back When" hit #42 R&B.
"Le Restaurant" hit #93 R&B.

You can pick up Brenda Russell's Greatest Hits at places like here and here.


And here's the video for her biggest hit "Piano In The Dark"