Magic Lady

A nicely balanced set of soft R&B ballads and equally light up-tempo fare, subtly soulful trio Magic Lady's debut will please fans of the rare groove and quiet storm formats. The melodies and arrangements are often reminiscent of the Chi-Lites, the Delfonics, and other Philly soul stalwarts, while the vocals are surprisingly understated. The penultimate moment is "I Can't Believe I Found True Love," a jazzy, tropically flavored mid-tempo swirl of breezy horns, sterling keys, insinuating bass and percussion, and charming vocals. Other highlights include the pleasant "Please Don't Say Goodbye" and the summery "I Need Your Lovin'." The B-side drags momentarily with several ballads that have similar intros and weak melodies. Overall, Magic Lady's strong point is in the combination of professional vocal delivery, solid production, and familiar-sounding melodies. None of those individual aspects are always completely on the mark (except for "I Can't Believe I Found True Love"), but they're certainly of just as high a caliber as commercially more successful efforts of the time by peers such as Dazz Band and Con Funk Shun.