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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is still one of my favorite albums, July 5, 2004
My wait for a follow-up to Jasmine Guy's first album now stands at fourteen years and counting. This self-named album from 1990 has always been one of my favorite albums, and I think it holds up just as well today as it did when it was released. Many may have forgotten this star's foray into the recording industry, but as long as I'm around, Jasmine Guy can be assured of one fan who not only remembers but continues to enjoy her music. As a huge fan of A Different World, I was naturally curious to see and hear Jasmine perform, and I well remember seeing her absolutely work it on stage. That training at the Alvin Ailey dance school wasn't wasted on her. Those first two songs she put out, Another Like My Lover and Try Me, are incredible songs of amazing R&B energy, but Jasmine also proved herself capable of singing a moving ballad like nobody's business: Just Want to Hold You featuring James Ingram was her most successful release, but More Love was an equally memorable track, and I Wish You Well closed the album out in the most impressive of fashions.Jasmine didn't do all this alone, of course. Full Force (a quite notable group at the time) was the driving force behind Try Me and Johnny Come Lately, ex-Girlfriend sang backup on Try Me, Branford Marsalis contributed the sultry sax stylings of More Love, and Derrick "Delite" Steven provided the strong rap on Don't Want Money. There's a lot of variety in these songs. Don't Want Money and I Don't Have to Justify are great songs incorporating nice helpings of rap; Try Me and Another Like My Lover could easily lead to great big holes danced into the floor with their great energy; More Love and Just Want to Hold You are two very impressive ballads; Everybody Knows My Name, Johnny Come Lately, and Tuff Boy are enjoyable albeit less memorable tracks; and the whole thing closes out on I Wish You Well, a song which is in many ways the best song on the album. The bottom line is this: Jasmine may have been a huge TV star, but that did not mean she didn't know what she was doing inside a recording studio. I've never understood why this album wasn't a much bigger hit than it was, and I still hope that someday Jasmine will gift us all with another amazing album.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Effort, October 15, 2003
By A Customer
I bought the cassette in 1990 and even though I found some of the songs very corny, I enjoyed the album overrall. I always wondered why Jasmine didn't make another album. The songs " Another Like My Lover ", " Try Me " and " Just Wanna Hold You " were top jams even if the album didn't sell like crazy. Ms. Guy is not the best singer in the world but she's better than Paula Abdul and Brandy so that should tell you something. Jasmine's album has flavor and dynamic hip-hop beats that will keep you jumping. It was the perfect House Party album for the early 90's and though it's lost some of its power now, it's still a lot better than some of the crap released today.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jasmine's Only CD, September 26, 2004
Jasmine Guy, of course, is best known for her breakthrough role as Whitley Gilbert on the hit 80's sitcom, "A Different World." However, she actually started in dance and stage with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Not surprisingly then, when she became successful, she decided to record this CD, which was released in 1990. Jasmine doesn't have the strongest voice; she sounds like a less soulful and more nasal version of Vanessa Williams. However, this collection is filled with solid songs, courtesy of some of the hottest producers of the period. The CD showed her musical promise and did reasonably well, so it's unclear why she never recorded a follow-up.
A couple of songs are real highlights. "Another Like My Lover" was the first single and went to #66 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's perhaps the grittiest song on the CD with a very catchy, repeated chorus. The best known song of the collection is "Just Want to Hold You" - a smooth, beautiful ballad that peaked at #34 on the Hot 100 and spent 20 weeks on the chart. "Try Me" was produced by Full Force and did well on the dance chart; it's a rather memorable song. "I Don't Want Money" was produced by Oliver Leiber; he produced Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract" and appeared on that song as MC Skat Cat. He appears on this song as well, and it has a rather similar feel.
The CD has overtones of R&B, but Jasmine's somewhat thin voice and the bland instrumentation results in more of a jazzy dance feel. The background vocals are also sometimes overly smooth and overpower the music, especially on songs such as "Johnny Come Lately." Because she worked with producers whose sound is very identifiable, the CD ends up sounding very much of its period, although competently executed. Overall, "Jasmine Guy" is enjoyable dance music but rather disposable.
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by Jasmine Guy 
