Carol Lynn Townes - Try Me Out (1988/2019)

Where Carol Lynn Townes' first solo outing delights with fiery dance grooves, her sophomore effort pleases with understated, but sassy, mid-tempo selections and unconventionally soulful ballads. Her vocals are incendiary on the moody houser "You Keep Runnin' Back"; while consistently jazzy on the heartwarming "We Started Out as Friends" and ultra-sexy "I Don't Know What I'd Do." The singer produced and co-wrote the latter effort, along with the funky, simile-filled "Disposable World." With writing that's simple and gets straight to the point, she utilizes impressive imagery that the album's other writers lack. "Disposable World" opines: "Nobody wants to stay together/They think that permanence is a bore...Like your cigarette lighter/relationships go out the door...Not like your Good News razor/Your old blue blazer/I wanna be a permanent girl." And to go with it, it's got a unique synth groove that further proves the point of its lyric. The melodies and arrangements of the tracks here aren't as dynamic as those on Satisfaction Guaranteed; rather, it's the fluid grooves and creative vocal nuances throughout that result in a fulfilling listening experience.