Gladys Knight [Bonus Tracks Edition]

Liner Note Author: Alex Henderson.
Some Gladys Knight fans think that she didn't record as a solo artist until the early 1990s. But in fact, her first solo albums came in the late 1970s, when she provided 1978's Miss Gladys Knight for Buddah and 1979's Gladys Knight for Columbia. Neither album was a huge seller; only her most diehard fans bought the LPs. The singer's second, and self-titled, solo album isn't remarkable, but is a generally decent effort that ranges from R&B/adult contemporary ballads ("You Loved Away the Pain," "I Just Want to Be With You," "My World") to up-tempo soul-disco offerings like "You Bring Out the Best in Me" and "You Don't Have to Say I Love You," both of which would appeal to a Loleatta Holloway or Thelma Houston fan. Meanwhile, the vibrant, Earth, Wind & Fire-ish "It's the Same Old Song" isn't unlike something that EWF leader Maurice White would have produced for the Emotions in the late 1970s, and Knight's version of Leiber & Stoller's "I (Who Have Nothing)" recalls her dramatic 1964 hit "Giving Up." This LP, which she produced with Jack Gold, isn't recommended to casual listeners, who would be much better off with an anthology of her classic Motown and Buddah recordings with the Pips. But it's a likable record that is worth hearing if you're among Knight's hardcore fans. ~ Alex Henderson