Al B. Sure! | Honey I’m Home
Al B. Sure! | Honey I’m Home By Peggy Oliver
When the new jack swing era piloted by producer Teddy Riley was in full effect between the late eighties and mid-nineties, vocal groups Guy, New Edition and Ready For The World plus others represented the R&B hit machine on a regular basis. Tight-knit soulful voices fed off funk induced, fresh swinging beats mostly created by electronic drum sets or drum machines. The recipe of heavy beats and sweet harmonies won over R&B fans and influenced like-minded hit makers. These contagious new jack grooves started becoming prominent in songs from Janet Jackson, EnVogue and Keith Sweat to name just a few. A vocalist who hooked up with his cousin to make four-track recordings back in the day, Al B. Sure (born Albert Joseph Brown), was a notable vocalist in the new jack swing period, which is where he attained his biggest artistic success from 1988 to 1992.
Once Sure graduated from the Manhattan Center for the Performing Arts in 1986, life seemed to go favorably for this still teenage talent towards obtaining the dream of R&B superstardom. Around a year later Sure was signed on the dotted line by Warner Brothers, thanks to longtime friends – eighties pop/rap new jack stars in their own right Heavy D & The Boyz. The same year found him winning the in augural edition of the Sony Innovator Talent Search with jazz great Herbie Hancock and music impresario Quincy Jones sitting in the judges’ chairs. His 1988 initial and signature hit from the new jack swing era, “Nite & Day,” gathered so much momentum worldwide, a French & Spanish version was released. Sure’s debut album In Effect Mode was off the entire hardware store selling over a million copies and gathering countless nominations including a Soul Train Award for Best New Artist. The subsequent projects Private Times…and the Whole 9! and Sexy Versus registered high energy new jack gems and soulful ballads like“If I’m Not Your Lover” (remix included), “Off On Your Own Girl,” “Right Now” and “No Matter What You Do” with Diana Ross. Besides his solo albums, Sure teamed with El DeBarge, Barry White and James Ingram on the 1990 quiet storm classic; the Quincy Jones executive-produced Secret Garden. When the new jack genre eventually petered out, the Boston-born singer/songwriter also faded off the R&B charts, but Sure always kept busy in various capacities.
His production and songwriting skills landed him opportunities to crossover into other genres including working alongside soul legend Al Green and rock legend Rod Stewart. Sure also had a natural ability in tapping future R&B superstars such as Faith Evans and Usher. His appreciation for the radio industry during his pre-hit making days came to fruition as he has spent the past ten years DJ’s in Los Angeles and San Francisco spinning adult contemporary R&B. In 2008, Sure was chosen as a music industry consultant for coverage of the 50thAnnual Grammy Awards on Los Angeles TV station KTLA.
Sure’s main inspiration for Honey I’m Home, his return to the studio since Sexy Versus, is from listeners stories on love relationships shared on his radio shows in the past decade. Romance still remains in Al B. Sure’s heart and West is back in the production chair, but now the label home has changed. The Hidden Beach Recordings disc has a few promising tracks; from a cover song by the ‘King of Pop’ and when Sure stretches past the slow and steamy R&B boundaries. The song that might be considered Nite &Day the sequel is “I Love It Papi (Aye Aye Aye).” Whether coincidence or fans craving Sure’s romantic prowess after a near two decade recording absence, “I Love It Papi” scored high on the R&B charts like just like “Nite & Day,” Sure’s first single from In Effect Mode. The soft Latin swagger of “I’m Glad” and the pop/rock framed “Never Stop Loving You”gives Sure a chance to exercise his vocal muscles on different levels;especially the latter track. He also revisits Michael Jackson’s emotional love ballad “Lady In My Life.” This cut first caught me off guard because of Jackson’s passing. However, after listening a second time, Sure’s undeniable affection for the Quincy Jones original production and lyrical content seals this solid song selection. Finally, “4 Life” drops some classic soul tidbits; namely a few echoes of those Isley Brothers’ smooth love grooves.
On the other side of the coin, there are just as many disappointments. Two examples are the auto-tuned, sometimes undecipherable vocal production on “All I Wanna Do” & “Whatcha Got”, both of which lose steam in the early going. The raps on “All I Wanna Do” also pale in comparison to Sure’s witty raps on “Off On Your Own Girl.”
Overall, Honey I’m Home is an OK return to the studio home for Sure. This is absolutely not meant to downgrade Sure’s vocal presence. Yet he could improve on his current vocal stock in the near future by striving for more classic soul, rock or pop arrangements; all suitable fits for Sure’s smooth as silky tenor voice and sharp falsettos. Besides, Sure has served his time well as anew jack star from the past, and he does not need to reprise his Nite & Day clip that intros Honey I’m Home to otherwise prove his vocal abilities.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene