RAW LIKE SASHIMI'S 100 GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME : #29 : Vanessa Williams : "The Right Stuff" (FULL CD, 1988, HQ MP3)
THIS WENT UNNOTICED WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT - ITS A POP CLASSIC!
During the 1980's, the name Vanessa Williams would be infamous with the scandal she saw when she was forced to resigned as Miss America 1984 due to the release of several nude photographs she took while a student at Syracuse University. However, at the beginning of the 1990's, that image would forever change as Ms. Williams became the most famous and successful winner in that pageant's history.
Blessed with beauty, charm, and immense talent, Ms. Williams showed everyone that she was like the phoenix of mythology: rose out of the flames and into the air. "The Right Stuff" marked her first album as a new woman, and the results are incredible. Produced by her former husband/manager, Ramon Hervey, the "Right Stuff" gave Vanessa notoriety as a talented chanteuse.
The album's title track, "The Right Stuff" is a hip, danceable song that will keep you on your toes. Other great songs on this album include one of my favorite ballads, "Dreamin'," a sweet, soulful song that captures the magic of her voice. "Darlin' I" also perfectly shows William' immense depth of vocal talent.
The other songs on this album are great, and Ms. Williams has definitely earned the fame she much deserves. From starring in hit films such as "Eraser" and "Soul Food", hosting specials and programs on VH1, or just being the gifted diva she is, Ms. Williams is a portrait of success and grace. If you loved this album, I highly recommend her follow-up album, "The Comfort Zone" as well.
It took me a year to get that album, but I loved every song on it! Vanessa Williams made a very diverse kind of R&B album with shades of hip-hop beats within it. I still love the ultra funky "The Right Stuff" which still explodes with energy, especially on the breakdowns within it and the sinister grooves on the chorus! It is a dance floor classic!
Lots of people say Dreamin' is the best ballad as well as Whatever Happens, but I'll give it to Darlin' I. That song has Vanessa's best vocal performance. It's classy and mature at the same time with the lead guitar and the horns playing on it. It might have set the tone to later ballad hits like the already classic Save The Best For Last, Just For Tonight and The Sweetest Days. Hard to believe that Vanessa's first husband, Ramon Hervey, produced some songs on this album. Some songs don't work for her, like Am I Too Much and the generic beats on Security. Those songs sound like Madonna dance pop rejects.
Vanessa is one of the few artists with a debut album from 1988 that's still around today. She still acts, performs and records albums, even releasing a new one in early 2005. This 1st album really made me forget about her Miss America crown removal and made me accept her more as an enduring singer and artist.
RAW LIKE SASHIMI'S 100 GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME : #29 : Vanessa Williams : "The Right Stuff" (FULL CD, 1988, HQ MP3)