Customer Reviews

June Pointer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Last night, I had my favorite song from this album, "Put Your Dreams Where Your Heart Is," running through my head. Sadly, this morning, I learned that June passed on yesterday, after many years of troubles with drugs. This fine album, her second (the first one, "Baby Sister," as of this writing, has never been issued on CD), is a great testament to her vocal power. A few of the arrangements are formulaic, but the album overall shows a different side of June that she didn't get to show while in the group.

June played an undeniably important role in the Pointer Sisters' success. As lead singer of such hits as "Jump for My Love," "Happiness," and "He's So Shy," she brought an irresistible energy to their music that few could ignore!

The classic here is "Put Your Dreams Where Your Heart Is," a moving, inspiring ballad produced by Humberto Gatica that truly should have been given a single release. One of the lines from the song: "But if you're gonna throw a pity party/No one's gonna come to see you cry/So celebrate yourself, and everybody else will soon be standing in line." Those are the kinds of positive messages I wish we'd hear more in music today. The words of this song are so true to life, and not formulaic like many "songs of hope" tend to be. Her voice is dynamic on this tune. It alone is reason enough to buy this album!

Two singles were released from this album: "Tight on Time," a midtempo contemporary R&B tune on which June raps and sings; and "Why Can't We Be Together," a duet with the amazing Phil Perry and written by Burt Bacharach & Bruce Roberts. Their performance on this song was great, though the production was a little too slick. I don't remember their being much promotion for the album or its singles, though a friend told me that she thought she remembered seeing June perform "Dreams" on "The Arsenio Hall Show" (that would've been awesome!).

Other notable cuts here are the fiesty rocker "How Long" and the passionate "Keeper of the Flame." Very well-produced and with very full vocal arrangements!

I will always treasure this album in my memories of June, a wonderful vocal talent gone too soon.

I am an ardent admirer of the Pointer Sisters and have ALL their releases on CD or CDR. Recently, I found out I had missed one solo album from Anita Pointer ["Love For What It Is" - 1987 (RCA) ] and two from June Pointer ["Baby Sister" 1983 (Planet) & "June Pointer" 1989 (Columbia) ]. My review of Anita's album I called 'Very Decent - Just Not Righteous', and gave it 3 stars. Anita was in fine form and it was a good album - the problem lying in the fact that none of the songs were particularly memorable. This album does not fall into that trap - this is ONE TIGHT ALBUM! The songs are great and definitely stay with you. The production is FIRST RATE and SLAMMING! And June used some of the best producers of the time to assist her: David Foster, Phil Ramone, Michael Narada Walden, Kashif (What ever happened to Kashif!?!) - all top producers. Carol Bayer Sager is listed as the Executive Producer, but not really credited with the direct production of any of the songs. Burt Bacharach is also thanked on this album, but you don't see his name having anything to do with the songs either. The three strongest cuts, in my opinion (meaning I find the words and the melodies staying with me for days) are "How Long", "Keeper Of The Flame", "Love Calling". The three Kashif-produced tracks are great too, "Fool For Love", "Live With Me" and "Love On The Line" but his production sounds a bit dated, seeing as how this was recorded in 1989 and I'm listening to it for the first time in 2005. The two singles from the album are strong for radio at the time I could have heard them on any Dance or R&B station out there: "Tight On Time" and "Parlez Moi D'Amour". All in all, I was thrilled to hear this and wonder why June, as she doesn't appear with the Pointer Sisters anymore, doesn't embark on a solo career. This is a GREAT album and has not left my CD player at home and in the car since I got it. If you like the Pointer Sisters, you will really love this album!

The soul dance world lost yet another great one; the baby sister of The Pointer Sisters. Her and her sisters hits will live on for years. I had the privilege of taking my older brother to see The Pointer Sisters in all their glory in our hometown, at the Strand Theatre in York Pennsylvania. Needless to say, they put on one fabulous show. R.I.P. June Pointer !!

Length:: 1:26 Mins

June Pointer, born on 11-30-53 as the youngest of Oakland, California's famed quartet (later trio) of singing sisters, did not have any hits with this album, but on the whole, it is probably the most well-crafted and listenable album made by one Pointer Sister. She's full of exuberant energy throughout, songwriting on some songs is the work of the masterful pens of Narada Michael Walden and Kashif, and the latter provides superb instrumentalism on most or all of the songs. Highlights include the hit "Tight On Time (I'll Fit You In)," the duet with Phil Perry "How Long (Don't Make Me Wait)," and the pumping, synth-happy "Love On The Line." Sadly, numerous drug problems contributed to the downfall of her career over the next several years, and she also ended up developing cancer, which would ultimately lead to her death on 4-11-06.

June Pointer / June Pointer Track Title

1. Tight On Time (I'll Fit U In)

2. Parlez Moi Dámour (Let's Talk About Love)

3. Why Can't We Be Togheter

4. How Long (Don't Make Me Wait)

5. Put Youré Dreams Where Youre Heart Is

6. Keeper Of The Flame

7. Love Calling

8. Fool For Love

9. Live With Me

10. Love On The Line