CoronaVinyl Day 192 (A): Every Home Should Have One by Patti Austin

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

We're starting our second go-round through the alphabet.  Today's CoronaVinyl category is "A."  I wish I had an album that accurately describes the crime of sedition, but there were thousands of treasonous thugs in Washington, DC that did that today for me.  So, instead, I went with Patti Austin's fourth studio album, 1981's Every Home Should Have One.

Austin started her career at a very early age, singing at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater when she was only four.  She sang backing vocals for a number of successful artists in the '70s, while also beginning a solo career in the mid '70s.  She also performed a number of duets throughout her career, including with Michael Jackson, George Benson, and James Ingram.  She has ventured into various genres over the course of her career, including pop, soul, R&B, and jazz.  In 2008, she won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Produced by legendary producer Quincy Jones, Every Home Should Have One was Austin's most successful album on the Billboard album chart, reaching #36.  This is another album that I must have acquired as part of a larger lot of albums I purchase, and I have never listened to the album before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It's a nice mix of funky pop and soul, and you can certainly hear Jones's influence in the songs, some of which sound like they could very well be Michael Jackson songs.

If you know any Patti Austin song, it's likely her duet with James Ingram from this album, "Baby, Come To Me," which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, as well as the Top 10 on the charts in five other countries.  The title track also charted, going to #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Do You Love Me?" went to #1 on the Billboard Dance chart and #24 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.

The album has some great backing musicians.  In addition to his featured role in "Baby, Come To Me," Ingram provides backing vocals on several songs.  Toto's Steve Lukather plays guitar on several tracks.  David Foster, jazz musician Bob James, and veteran session musicians Greg Phillinganes and Michael Boddicker play synthesizer and keyboards.  Louis Johnson of Brothers Johnson and famed session musician Anthony Jackson play bass on several tracks.  Legendary session drummer John "JR" Robinson plays drums on most of the album.

An interesting factoid:  Austin was booked to be on United Flight #93 on September 11, 2001, but had to cancel her flight because her mother suffered a stroke.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Do You Love Me?"

The first track on the album is a great, catchy early '80s dance-soul song, complete with the requisite synthesizers and some funky bass work courtesy of Louis Johnson.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Symphony of Love"
On the back of the album, this is noted as being dedicated to Bob Marley, who died the year before.  It's a dreamy, reggae-influenced soul song.