Customer Reviews

Living All Alone

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

She left us far too soon. Considering the circumstances of her death and the lovely body of work she produced in her brief life time, "Living All Alone" is almost painful to listen too. The flawless title cut finds her singing harder on the choruses and emphasizing the pain and isolation so many of us feel. This song alone merits a 5 star rating because it hits so close to home. "First Time Together" fairly glistens with sexual anticipation and the desire to please your lover ("I wanna make sure that everything's alright, wanna make sure I got the candlelight, wanna make sure you got everything you need"), THIS is real passion. There is not a weak track to be found here, but the real star in the crown is Hyman's astounding remake of "What You Won't Do For Love" a song she truly claims as her own and turns into a plea for love and togetherness at all costs, if you've ever felt this kind of love, you'll feel this song. This is Phyllis Hyman's greatest work and a testament to the power and beauty of a real singer. The woman wasn't simply talented, she was gifted and when she died, we were all robbed of that gift. My heart still aches for her.

While this soulful songtress was talented beyond belief, this is by far the BEST CD. I had a cassette tape back in 1987 and now even fifteen years later I can recall EVERY single song. Never dated, I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Wow.

Where do I begin.

I really can't respect a true "R&B Buff" if this album isn't mentioned in the conversation as one of the greatest ever released. I'm shocked no singer recently has attempted to remake any of the tracks on "Living All Alone" by now.

Growing up in a household full of adults, I was prone to listen to the music they listened to. When this album got the household's approval--which was a feat in itself with a household and family of music critics--I was hooked.

So while both Go-Go and Hip-Hop were in the start of their "golden eras," this album (as well as Anita Baker's "Rapture") stayed in heavy rotation.

I was a 6 year old youngin' living in "Uptown" Washington, D.C. when I first heard "Living All Alone" on WHUR, immediately followed up by "Old Friend." Later that week, I watched her sing "Living All Alone" live on a late night show.

I was intrigued.

At that time, I thought she was a new artist that became an overnight sensation, as "Living All Alone" played on D.C. urban radio like crazy. Thankfully, my grandfather (rest his soul) schooled me on that assumption when I approached him about Ms. Hyman.

Point blank, every song on this LP is a gem, with "Living All Alone," "Old Friend," and her version of "What You Won't Do For Love" being staples for REAL "Quiet Storms" on radio stations around the country (if any of those still exist today).

From every lyric, to the composition of each track, to her flawless delivery, this 9 song masterpiece is the ultimate "eargasim" of R&B. My personal hidden highlight is "You Just Don't Know."

This is a must have. Period.

Before I end, I must share these two tidbits...

One, I got a chance to meet Ms. Hyman in Georgetown, during the summer of 1993. She was shopping, smiling, by herself, just chilling like a regular human being. I was amazed at her warmth -- She waved, smiled, and gave me a certain eye contact I'll never forget when I said "hi" to her. She wasn't on her "celebrity highhorse" one bit.

She also died laughing when my uncle (who I was with) screamed, "You always been better than that b**** Patti too!" But, that is a story for another time!

Second, I found this CD -- brand new, original -- at a Circuit City in Virginia Beach in 1997. When I spotted it, I immediately thought about WHUR, when I met her, and her tragic death and battles with this game we call life. And I can tell you that was the best $9.99 I ever invested.

And I will guarantee you will feel the same way if you obtain this timeless R&B classic.

I remember hearing the single "Living All Alone" in 1986 and I knew I had found me a new favorite singer. After my parents bought the release on CD - which was an extremely expensive thing being that they just hit mainstream in 1984 or 1985, I couldn't stop listening. When I got older, I went to invest in the rest of her collection. While I'm missing her 1977 self titled, I love every single release that she has made. I along with many other reviewers are saddened by her premature departure, but her music lives on.

My only wish is that Arista would be nice and re-print her catalog of the following:
Somewhere In My Lifetime, 1978
You Know How To Love Me, 1979
Can't We Find Love Again, 1981
Goddess of Love, 1983.
I hope someone from Arista reads this. We the fan would appreciate it.

There is not a so emotional vocal album elsewhere. You should hear samples!!!

The only bad thing about this album is that it came out around the same time as Anita Baker's Rapture album. Rapture became a juggernaut that launched Anita Baker to superstardom. I believe Phyllis Hyman and the album "Living All Alone" never got the recognition both deserved. This album is timeless and I feel that it is Phyllis' best work. The best way that I can describe Phyllis' performance on this album is that she sounds like she is living the songs as she sings them. It is one of the best vocal performances I've heard on an album.

I have been a fan of Phyllis Hyman for years. When I saw her after a concert she is the most beautiful woman I've ever met and very down to earth. I miss her music and voice. Living All Alone album was a mirror image of my life at that time, I felt so connected and understood where she was coming from even though I had less stress in my life than now, it was what you won't do for love, she done it, I done it. Phyllis if you're in the cyberspace in heaven, know that we still love you and miss you very much.

I first had this in vinyl which I still do. However, since I do not have a record player, I wanted to have a copy of this album. I love this album very much. Phyllis Hyman had a beautiful voice that is not stilled by her death. My favorite song is Old Friend. It is heartbreaking.

I must say although there are folks out there that didn't care for her album "Living All Alone" but I surely loved the song "Aint you had enough Love" which was played greatly throughout my hometown in the midwest at the time it debuted in 1987. I was so excited to find it available on youtube to listen to it because its a very difficult track to find and thank goodness I can hear "MY" favorite song of all the songs listed on the "Living All Alone" album.

Phyllis Hyman's "Living All Alone", released in 1986 on Philadelphia, was the album which, for me, marked a turning point in the career of this gifted artist who had started out on her journey more than a decade previously and had remained in relative obscurity, popping up here and there with a track or two that deserved some mention for a time before fading into the archives.

I had heard a few Phyllis Hyman tracks here and there - notably "You know how to love me" which were pretty good but if truth be told were not exactly special, and so my perception of this artist was one of indifference. "Living All Alone" changed my perception and in the process, swung the pendulum all the way from indifference to total awe and reverence.

The title track was the first I heard and there just seemed to be no setting on my stereo that could do the music justice. The distinctive bassline, the harmony in horns and strings and the eerily haunting background whistling all blending with Ms Hyman's absolutely fabulous voice and distinctly weepy, emotive tones to leave this listener speechless and actually quite apologetic for earlier indifference!

I was so taken by the title track that I foolishly ignored the rest of the album, and the "repeat" function on my then state of the art linear tracking turntable made it all too easy for this state of ignorance to prevail - and it didn't help that the record was borrowed (Hey! I was only a student!) so I only had so long to get my earful before it was time for the rightful owner to take posession.

It must have been about a month after my first contact with the record that I tuned to my local radio station in Manchester and could hardly believe my ears when the DJ said he had Phyllis Hyman live in the studio and naturally, "Living All Alone" was the featured album. The interview was quite the eye opener for me about the fortunes of the artist. What came through was a disatisfaction with the way Phyllis felt her career had been managed. She offered some advice to upcoming artists about the value of wisdom and prudence in signing up with record companies and stated she wished someone had given her the same advice when she started out.

At this point, the DJ decided to play "Ain't you had enough love" from the featured album and somewhere in the halls of residence of Manchester Univeristy was a student kicking themselves for not having listened to the whole album when it had been in their posession. The next choice from the featured album was down to Phyllis and she picked "Old Friend" which she said was of some 'sentimental relevance' or something along those lines. As a parting track, the DJ played "If you want me" and there was yet more self kicking and head banging in the halls of residence. It was undoubtedly way too late for me to start a campaign against the "repeat" function on state of the art turntables so there was little else left to do than accept it was one I'd have to put down to experience.

My quest for the album on CD was relentless and it was during one such search that I came across the news of the passing of Phyllis Linda Hyman in 1995. The tragic circumstances of her passing brought to mind her interview and the burden of unhappiness she seemed to have been carrying with her. MHSRIP.

It was not until 2007 that I discovered just how brilliantly Phyllis Hyman did her rendition of "what you won't do for love", perhaps better associated with Dionne Warwick and/or Natalie Cole. By this time I had fair few of her later albums in my collection. So impressed was I that I just had to call a truce with that old foe .. the repeat function .. this time on my CD player, and give this track the playtime it deserved.

Pros: This album is absolutely brilliant in every respect. Every track merits its time on the player and it is not often you get an album that gives the "skip" function a well deserved break. "Living All alone", "If you want me", "Aint you had enough love" are all recommended listening, and what a voice!

Cons: It might come across as pricey for some

Verdict: This one's a no-brainer. If price is not an issue, get it! There are no regrets to be had here. Just make sure you get your copy "digitally remastered" from a trusted source as there is a prevalence of classic 80's albums recreated from vinyl sources by some individuals.