Special Things (With Bonus Track)

by Amy HansonTaking everything back a notch from 1979's rock & roll Priority LP, the Pointer Sisters slid into mellower waters, pulling from a pool of Burt Bacharach- and Carole Bayer Sager-penned numbers that were well suited to the re-emergence of the group's R&B stylings. And fans obviously liked what they heard, as the album climbed into the Top 20 in the summer of 1980. Hard-rocking riffs have been replaced by elastic basslines and bright brass punches on "Could I Be Dreaming," and it's a perfect cushion for Anita Pointer's rich vocals. A little further on, "Evil" keeps the brass and loops in some wah-wah guitar riffs, while June Pointer's passionate delivery blisters through the melee in this funk rock hybrid. And, of course, there are several wonderful down-tempo numbers, including the sleepy "This Love Is Too Good to Last" and "Here Is Where Your Love Belongs." But what shoved this LP up the charts was the smash "He's So Shy," which gave the band a number three hit. Now classic Pointer Sisters, the song edged out of the set and defined the more pop-oriented direction the band would take as the new decade gathered steam. Slow, sensual, and slightly melancholy, it brought synthesizers to the front of the action, putting the band smack in the middle of a musical revolution that itself was on the verge of explosion. Their timing couldn't have been better.