Carl Carlton – Private Property (1985)

 With Allan Jones producing one side, and deep soul legend Sam Dees the other, one can reasonably expect some tight sounds from this Memphis-recorded release. Carl Carlton's best work was recorded on Back Beat and later 20th Century Fox Records, where he cut "She's a Bad Mama Jama." Larry Dodson, Bertram Brown, William Brown, and Helen & Phyllis Duncan contribute backing vocals. "Private Property" shares some similarities with "Mama Jama," but perhaps not enough, since it didn't chart. The Duncan Sisters chirp like lovebirds on "Slipped, Tripped (Fooled Around and Fell in Love)," on which Carlton plays second fiddle to the production. His rendition of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" is spoiled by artificial drums. Except for one jam, nothing on side one merits ink. Side two, produced by prolific songwriter Sam Dees, had a much better chance of being worthy. Every drummer in Memphis must have been out of town, because Dees uses the same weak DMX Programming apparatus that messed up side one. The flowing "Never Got Over You" is the best of Dees' four tracks. "Mama's Boy" and "Hot" are cluttered disco throwaways; "Hot" doesn't get interesting until the halfway point, and by that time you will have turned on the television. Real drums would have helped "Free, Fine & 21," which had potential but was poorly mixed.