Eddie Murphy
Love’s Alright (Motown) (STAR)(STAR)
With the likes of Michael and Janet Jackson, B.B. King, Bon Jovi, Shabba Ranks, En Vogue, Julio Iglesias, Elton John, Luther Vandross and Hammer helping out, it would be easy to dismiss Eddie Murphy’s latest (very) serious musical outing as a celebrity-studded vanity project. Just as it would be easy to knock Murphy’s thin, whispery “singing.” But Murphy tries earnestly to keep things interesting. Although the swirling psychedelic funk fails to overcome the soggy new-age philosophy that saturates “Don’t Give Up on Love,” “One,” “Always Is Love” and “Flower Child,” Murphy and Michael Jackson hit just the right note on “Whatzupwitu,” as they question man’s place in the world and the meaning of life. And the reggae-style salute to black America’s African origins on “I Was a King” percolates nicely. To finish the album, Murphy offers a pleasant cover of the Beatles’ “Good Day Sunshine” and an explosive, eight-minute “Joe,” with Ernie Isley (guitar), Larry Graham (bass), and Tim Christian (drums) laying to waste all that has preceded it.
Ratings: Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Fair (STAR)(STAR) Poor (STAR)
