Searching to Find the One

Personnel: Stephanie James, Audrey Wheeler (vocals); William "Budda" Anderson (guitar, drums, percussion); Clarence Brice, Steve Horton, Philip Hamilton (guitar); Ray "Johnny" Reid (horns, drums, percussion); V. Jeffrey Smith (horns); Keith Slattery, Fred McFarlane, Terry Burris, Galen Underwood, Clifford Branch (keyboards); Raymond "Sugar Ray" Rock (drums, percussion); Tony Cintron (drums); Jose Guadalupe, Skip Boardley, LaToya Anderson, Wayne Garfield (hand claps); Sammy Figueroa, Carol Steele (percussion); Sandy Anderson, Carol Rice, Alyson Williams (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: François Kevorkian; Raymond Reid.
Photographer: Trudy Schlachter.
Arrangers: William "Budda" Anderson; Raymond Reid; Bert Reid; Mike Theodore.
Serving up most of the tracks from Unlimited Touch's two Prelude albums, plus a single-only release, this collection is a worthy investment for fans of the group who can't locate the original LPs. The invigorating rhythm arrangement and fun vocal melodies of 1980's "I Hear Music in the Streets" (the core of which was later reworked into rapper Rampage's 1997 hit "Take It to the Streets") and the slower, but just as groovy "Searching to Find the One," blending heavy keyboards with a fine electric guitar solo, are the outfit's most successful kinetic endeavors. Both numbers are from the self-titled 1981 album and find vocalists Audrey Wheeler and Stephanie James in top form. Cuts like "Love Explosion" and "Yes I'm Ready" from 1983's Yes We're Ready LP are not as convincing, as a lot of the live instrumentation had become drenched by synths at this point. The group had downsized from six to three, meaning that session musicians substituted for the initial group chemistry. Still, the overall selection is consistent and it's a definite party-pleaser for fans of the early-'80s "post-disco" dance scene. ~ Justin M. Kantor