Shalamar: The Look
[1983]
By the time "The Look" album was released in 1983, Shalamar were stars and an established act in the music scene especially in the UK. This album is special, as it was the last recording with the classic Hewett/Watley/Daniels line up. Musically, "The Look" was something of a departure for the group. The solid, hallmarked R&B sound was replaced with the New Wave sound. The results were fabulous. The album opens with the sensual "Closer", which is very smooth, slick and sophisticated. Followed by the awesome "Dead Giveaway" it had Howard and Jody rocking to great effect. What surprised die-hard Shalamar fans was the fact that the single raced up the rock charts both in the US and in the UK. Howard takes the lead on "You Can Count On Me", but it's the duets with Jody that are outstanding. The first, "Right Here", is beautiful and it demonstrates their maturity vocally. "No Limits" is another Howard/Jody duet that is pure New Wave. Jody takes the lead in "Disappearing Act" which was another big hit. The only 2 tracks that bear any resemblance to Shalamar's heritage is the awesome "Over and Over" and the percussive "You Won't Miss Love". All in all, this is an awesome, but vastly underrated album. The album includes the following tracks:

Shalamar: Friends
[1982]
While Friends' predecessor, 'Three for Love' offered more hits, Friends is a sometimes-cautious though fulfilling continuation of the style. The biggest hit and leadoff track, "A Night to Remember," successfully mixes a subtle flash and a bittersweet melody that made the track an instant classic. 'Friends' represents the production style inherent in Solar at the time. The separate skills of the trio were beginning to show on this release. With Hewett ably handles the hooky and insinuating ballad "I Just Stopped by Because I Had To." The Leon F. Sylvers III's production on "There It Is" get back to the trio harmonies and aesthetic. 'Friends' not only assured Shalamar as a great pop/soul act. It's great representation of the Solar sound and early-'80s R&B. The album includes the following tracks:

Shalamar: Go For It
[1981]
Coming on the heels of two Top Ten LPs, Shalamar's 1981 Go for It, their second album of the year. Still intent on delivering up-tempo R&B hinging on urban beats, disco strings, and funky interludes, only one song, the bright-popped but bland "Sweeter As the Days Go By," broke away to enter the charts. There are some fine moments across the LP. "Go for It," which uses strings and a remarkably fluid bass to marvelous effect, is particularly strong and it's surprising that it wasn't tagged for a single. This, in turn, is well complemented by the edgy James Ingram-penned "You've Got Me Running," while "Talk to Me," co-written by Watley, is a smooth piece of funk-inflected R&B. Elsewhere, though, the band degenerates into the fairly generic slow-movers "Good Feelings" and "The Final Analysis," which features singer Stephanie Mills. . The album includes the following tracks:

Shalamar: Three For Love
[1981]
Shalamar was in excellent form on 'Three For Love'. Shalamar's 4th album, and their 2nd release to feature the soulful voice of Howard Hewett. With Leon Sylvers III producing and members of Shalamar and Lakeside contributing to the writing, all of the pieces fell into place quite nicely. Shalamar enjoyed major hits with the irresistible "Make That Move" and the sentimental ballad "This Is for the Lover in You," and every bit as strong are the funky "Pop Along Kid" and the dreamy "Somewhere There's a Love". Three for Love is soul-pop heaven. The album includes the following tracks:

Shalamar: Big Fun
[1979]
With their third album, Big Fun, Shalamar unveiled its best-known and most successful lineup. Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels were still on board, but Gerald Brown had been replaced by the charismatic Howard Hewett. Both creatively and commercially, this album would take Shalamar to new heights and establish the trio as one of the best soul-pop units of 1979-1983. The single that made Hewett famous and really sent Shalamar into orbit was "Second Time Around," but the classic Hewett/Watley/Daniels lineup also excels on everything from the insistent "Right in the Socket" to the playfully funky "Take Me to the River" and the smooth, Philadelphia soul-type ballad "Let's Find the Time for Love." Definitely one of Shalamar's essential releases. The album includes the following tracks:

Shalamar: Disco Gardens
[1978]
Disco Gardens was Shalamar's first worthwhile album. To say that there was a world of difference between the two might be an understatement. Much of Uptown Festival had a robotic, impersonal quality, and it was obviously the work of a manufactured studio act. But when Shalamar introduced its Jody Watley/Jeffrey Daniels/Gerald Brown lineup on its second album, Disco Gardens, it started feeling like an honest-to-God group with a real identity. This decent-to-excellent album had a pearl of a hit single in "Take That to the Bank," and almost as appealing are the irresistibly funky "Tossin', Turnin', Swingin'" (which should have been a hit single as well) and the catchy "Shalamar Disco Gardens." Although Howard Hewett had yet to join the group, Shalamar had developed a recognizable soul-pop sound. Disco Gardens turned out to be Brown's only album with Shalamar, and in 1978, the arrival of his replacement, Mr. Hewett, would be the icing on Shalamar's cake. The album includes the following tracks:

Shalamar: Uptown Festival
[1977]
The first Shalamar album, "Uptown Festival," was a major hit. The kitschy "Inky Dinky Wang Dang Doo" leads off the album with it's prominent bass vocal track. The album does however have it's moments that give us less than danceable results. Tracks like "Ooh Baby Baby," "Forever Came Today" and "High On Life" were meant to broaden the groups appeal and pander to R&B radio. The real masterpiece and disco classic is the medley. The title track is swirled into an eight and half minute frenzied tribute to Motown. The cuts range from: "Going To A Go-Go" and "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch (I Can't Help Myself)" to "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" and "Really Sayin' Something." The cover art sums up disco and the music at the time, it was larger than life and was all about boogying. And at the time no one boogied like Shalamar. Shalamar would change direction as would disco and that would be the key to their longevity. The album includes the following tracks: