Jennifer Warnes

by William RuhlmannJennifer Warnes's fourth album was her Arista Records debut and the first LP on which she was billed under her full name. While eight of its ten tracks were produced by horn player Jim Price, the other two, "Right Time of the Night" and "I'm Dreaming," were produced by country producer Jim Ed Norman, and released as singles. Both became hits, but while they were the most accessible tracks on the album, they were also the least impressive; "Right Time," with its coy sexuality, was embarrassingly awkward. On the other hand, the bulk of the album consisted of well-sung L.A. pop material, the highlights being covers of "Love Hurts" and the Rolling Stones' "Shine a Light." As her previous albums had demonstrated, Warnes had a warm, inviting voice and a strong sense of phrasing, but she suffered from the basic disadvantage all interpretive singers faced in the 1970s: the paucity of good available songs.