Customer Reviews

Now

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

 

 

This delightful funk/soul/pop recording opens up with the infectious "Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)" which was somewhat of a hit for Ms Rushen, or Baby Fingers as she will be forever known to diehard fans. Though it came after her dance smash (the often-covered/sampled) "Forget Me Nots", it was a testament that the artist was not "going anywhere" but forward. Known chiefly for her exceptional keyboarding skills (and these days a Musical Director of choice for television extravaganzas), Rushen is also a gifted vocalist with a unique breathy quality that stays pretty while not submitting to Madonna-like vapidness. There is art in her deceptively simple singing, superbly showcased on this collection of songs.

The groove that starts off "To Each His Own" reminds one of a Hall & Oats groove, but soon gives way to a great message: "...understanding is the real thing ..." Who says you cannot think while dancing?! I am STILL humming this one's chorous ...!

"My Love's Not Going Anywhere" is a sweeping mid-tempo adult "lullaby" about enduring love, while "Heartache Heartbreak" is a thoughtful piece on the downside of falling in love. This one is easy to relate to and consummately crafted. The honey-sweet melody is a keeper.

"Get Off (You Fascinate Me)" is a magnificently funky up-tempo number ... so very very funky!

"Superstar" is a tune about the kind of person now commonly known as a "Diva". The classical piano that pops up in the middle of the long workout of a song is simply incredible. Expert demonstration in the art of mixing. For a minute it is like two songs going on concurrently.

"High in Me" is heavenly, setting the mood for love.

Also noteworthy are the jams "Gotta Find It" and "Perfect Love" .

Bottom line: one of my favorite R&B albums.

KDP

the small, beautiful, petite, sweet patrice rushen has always been one of my favorite female vocalists of all-time and a very talented musician as well.although jazz purists have given have given the beautiful musician a bad rap for not sticking within the confines of the jazz music community and going in another direction with her music,patrice was just unwrapping her versatility to the world as a musical legend. with this album entitled'now'coming on the heels after the very successful 1982 album 'straight from the heart'-patrice delivers this 1984 album of soft,high-tech battery of synthesized magic:ear candy 4 your heart and soul.but before you could listen to her beautiful artistry,there is the strikingly beautiful album cover shot of patrice in all of her petite regal beauty.the beautiful musician is dressed in a white outfit with a glow of beauty from her face.the artist is standing in front of a beautiful work of art which is the background.

the album "now" features the smash hit'feels so real(won't let go)'/the slow rock rythm&blues groove of 'my love's not going anywhere'/very fast rocket tracks like 'gone with the night'and 'superstar'-with it's dark synthesizer edges describes a girl in the music industry who is more dependant on her looks alone,but she has no intelligent mind nor musical talent.this album also features the beautiful slowjam 'gotta find it'/the seductive 'perfect love'which features a nice jazzy synthesizer solo part and a song of love's pain-'heartache heartbreak'/the funk of 'get off'/one of my favorites on this album is the very beautiful 'high in me'with music performed by patrice that features a slow soulful hypnotic beat with a beautiful groove,including lyrics written by stevie wonder's ex syreeta wright of which syreeta left the lyrics on patrice's answering machine as she inscribed each line 2 patrice.patrice delivers her voice so sweetly seductive with these beautiful lines:'you make me feel the high...high in me...love is like i thought it could always be...my heart is open and i cannot hide don't you see i'm living in paradise...you're a miracle you brought my love to life...keep me in your arms where i'm satisfied...'(the way that patrice delivers these lines on this song can make a man melt.she phrases these lines so beautifully in such a romantic way.)

the soulful but stinging commentary on 'to each his own' is patrice's take on being born black in any society:'a baby's born...are they determined by the color of his or her skin...or do we take the time to see what lies within'...this is a very deep observation from patrice as she vocally challenges the hypocrisy of racism and the challenges that we go thru in life. patrice rushen's 'now'is beautiful,funky and heartfelt from her soul."now" would be rushen's last studio album for elektra records.three years later patrice would be on arista records (ala clive davis) and deliver the superb 1987 album "watch out!"/i love you patrice...i'll always love your music in whatever your beautiful musical heart desires in your quest to continue to make beautiful music regardless what the so-called jazz purists may think !!!

i rember buying this album and lovin all the tracks when i listen to it now on my vynil it brings back so many memories, feel so real with its sparse beats. high in me gotta find it witch is a good mid tempo tune and my favorite track to each his own which sounds freah today alongside any other classic slow jam ive being looking for this album for such a long time on cd and i recomend it to any patrice rushen fan or anyone who appriceates good solid 80s soul tunes that you will remember trust me buy it

I've hunted high and low for this cd, went on Amazon.com, and it was right there.

On 'Now' Patrice takes a sudden double take from the stylized
'Straight From The Heart' album and delivers a record comprised
mostly of stripped down grooves led by the monster "Feels So Real".All of the music varriates little from this style but during an era dominated by heavy overproduction in R&B it's nice to see someone who understands the concept of nuance,restraint
and above all subtlety.Patrice also challanges herself on a couple of biting message songs like the New-Wave inflected
"Superstar",a pean to show buisness girls who put more emphasis on their bodies then their minds and the intruigingly arranged
closer "To Each His Own" about people's need to battle eachother
over trivial differences.Even though it I must assume that by
this time (although some of these songs contain an improvised piano solo or two) that Patrice Rushen's former jazz listeners had pretty much abandoned her.But those people need only remember
that Patrice only recorded one album in the jazz idiom more or less and one album should never hold a dark cloud over any artists head.If a musician isn't allowed to change and grow there
will come a time when their music won't be half as appreciated.
That being said Patrice was certainly on a roll on this one!