Customer Reviews

Sweet and Sensual Best

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Today's crop of r&b singers have nothing on Karyn White. She had a great run of hits thru the late 80's and early 90's. (All of which appear on this collection) Originally a discovery of Babyface, she went on to even greater fame by working with the dynamic duo that is Jam and Lewis(who produce hits for Mariah, Janet, and tons of others!) Included on this fabulous set are "Facts of love", "Super Woman", "The way you love me", "Secret Rendezvous", "Hungah", and the classic "Romantic". She may have retired from the business, but she'll never be forgotten. Look out for the awesome GTS remix of "Super Woman" playing in clubs all over the US.

Karyn is in a small league of her own along with other artist such as Paula Abdul, Pebbles, Taylor Dayne and Exposé.
All of these people released three successful albums each before falling off of the earth's face.
Eventually to resurface years later with a greatest hits compilation.
Karyn is no exception, apart from the fact - maybe - that her best of album was released back in 1995 in Japan only.
So you have to be prepared to spend a little money more to get it, but it is worth it.

Karyn's hitting the spot dates back to 1988: entering the Babyface/L.A. Reid/Darryl Simmons team, she came up with her first effort and 3 Top Ten singles: THE WAY I FEEL ABOUT YOU is perfect for the dancefloor, SECRET RENDEZ-VOUS is a sensual electro R'n'B tune and SUPERWOMAN is to me the best ballad ever writen by the trio.
It is amazing how these men can relate so easily to women's feelings and put them on paper so well.
A couple of tracks are by then little-known team of Sturken & Rogers...not memorable songs, but on the right way to stardom.
ROMANTIC sees Karyn's comeback in 1991.
She shifted producers, she went for the Janet Jackson's one fomed of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (eventually becoming Mrs. Lewis...).
Things started off pretty well, the song reached # 1 (even if it is not that artwork...) and the second one THE WAY I FEEL ABOUT YOU - bouncy, poppy number - made the Top Ten again.
Michael Powell helps too on some tracks, but it is mainly Jam&Lewis steering the direction.
A good and unusual track is the tribal sounds of RITUAL OF LOVE.
Album # 3 was releaased in 1993, but it was sort of a flop, although it boasts a couple of tracks that are real noteworthy such as HUNGAH (great vocals) and the Babyface-penned CAN I STAY WITH YOU BABY? produced by Karyn herself and Jellybean Benitez.
The problem with this compilation is the incredible amount of non-single tunes thrown in as fillers...some are ok, some other just plain cheesy.
From then, her career was a freefall...but there is this album to remember the good times.
Karyn is there, and it's her you want...so....

I have been a long-time fan of Karyn White since she made her chart debut in the late 80's and I was delighted when I finally managed to get my hands on this rare release. The album contains tracks from Karen's 3 solo albums, "Karen White", "Ritual of Love" and "Make Him Do Right".

Karen White never really "made it". Certainly she had considerable success with her first 2 albums, but after that her success level wained. Karen has since gone into performance retirement and enjoys being a full time mother. I was disappointed by some of the non-single album cuts, which had to be used to fill this album out. I would also have liked to have had some new recordings but overall I find this collection satisfying.