Park Avenue Sound

Gloria Gaynor's fifth album was titled Gloria Gaynor's Park Avenue Sound, but it might as well have been titled Gloria Gaynor's Broad Street Sound because much of this soul-disco LP is heavily influenced by Philadelphia R&B. (Broad Street is a main thoroughfare in Philly). Two of the arrangers on Park Avenue Sound are Norman Harris and Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey, both of who were prominent figures on Philly's R&B scene in the 1970s, and Bobby Eli, another well known R&B musician from Philly, is employed on guitar. With such heavyweights on board, Park Avenue Sound should have been a gem. But the album isn't as strong as it could have been, although Philly-influenced cuts like "Kidnapped" and "This Love Affair" are decent and likable. One of the less Philly-sounding tunes on Park Avenue Sound is a remake of the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell classic "You're All I Need to Get By," which is arguably the best thing on the album and favors the type of disco-meets-Motown approach that had worked well for Gaynor in the past. Gloria Gaynor's Park Avenue Sound falls short of excellent and isn't essential, but it has more ups than downs and is worth hearing if you're a die-hard fan. ~ Alex Henderson