Ashford & Simpson - A Musical Affair 1980

The year 1980 was fairly eventful for Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. In addition to writing and producing Gladys Knight & the Pips' excellent About Love, the duo had a major hit of their own with the snappy "Love Don't Make It Right." Nonetheless, 1980's A Musical Affair didn't go down in history as one of Ashford & Simpson's essential albums. This vinyl LP isn't bad; most of the tracks are decent, and a few are excellent, most notably "Love Don't Make It Right," the melancholy "Get Out Your Hankerchief," and the sentimental ballad "Happy Endings." But overall, A Musical Affair isn't exceptional -- likable and pleasant, but not exceptional. After five-star treasures like 1977's Send It, 1978's Is It Still Good to Ya, and 1979's Stay Free, one greeted this record with high expectations; however, A Musical Affair falls short of the consistent excellence that had characterized some of their best late-'70s albums. Some might even go so far as to say that in 1980, Ashford & Simpson gave their best songs to Gladys Knight & the Pips, whose About Love is nothing to be ashamed of. Both commercially and creatively, that LP was the group's most successful album since 1974's I Feel a Song. In fact, the single ("Landlord") made it to number three on Billboard's R&B singles chart. So Ashford & Simpson certainly did right by Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1980, even though their own 1980 album falls short of essential. A Musical Affair is best recommended to Ashford & Simpson's hardcore fans. 

Near-perfect work from Ashford & Simpson – really grooving in full powerhouse mode here, and never missing a beat! By all rights, the team should have run out of steam by this point, but the album's another winner from their sublime Warner years – caught in a unique space between chart soul, ensemble funk, and disco – taking all the best elements of each, and really sending the whole thing home with some incredible vocals and impeccable production and arrangements! Titles include "Rushing To", "Love Don't Make It Right", "We'll Meet Again", "Get Out Your Handkerchief", and "I Ain't Asking For Your Love".