Nighttime Lovers, Vol. 2

The second volume of the PTG label's Nighttime Lovers series is one of the more obscure sets, recommendable to only the most hardcore fans of early- to mid-'80s club-oriented R&B and the rubbery basslines, bounding drum machines, and high-gloss sheen that often comes with it. Some of the notable inclusions: Larry Wu's "Let Me Show You" and Candela's Top 20 club single "Love You Madly" -- both produced or co-produced by Kool & the Gang's Amir Bayaan, with the latter featuring a ridiculous minute-long synthesizer solo -- as well as Sahara's "Love So Fine" and Projection's "Lovestruck" (the former released on the late Andy Sojka's Elite label; the latter produced by Sojka). As usual, there's only basic track information, including label and (usually accurate) year of release, but the PTG label evidently views each disc as a labor of love, even if the sound isn't always perfect. ~ Andy Kellman