One To One

As Rita Wright she released one of Motown's best underrated singles, Ashford and Simpson's "I Can't Give Back the Love That You Feel for Me." By the early '70s she married Stevie Wonder and wrote the lyrics to such classics as "Blame It on the Sun" and "If You Really Love Me." Her first album release was late 1974's Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta. While that effort featured all of the tracks as collaborations between Wonder and Wright, One to One has her co-writing five of the tracks here, and this album is produced by Leon Ware. Wright and Ware's romantic and hooky "I Don't Know" is nearly brilliant, but runs overlong. "Don't Cry" also has time concerns, but it is the perfect pitch for Wright's voice and has a great saxophone solo from Gary Bartz. The emotional "I Too Am Wanting," like all of the Wright and Ware collaborations, suggests that the two had the potential of being a good writing team. Wonder's "Harmour Love" from 1975 shows up here, but it's not one of his strongest songs or productions. While One to One does have the requisite, pensive and sensual sound of intelligent late-'70s R&B efforts, it was released a little too late to capitalize on its virtues. ~ Jason Elias|

As Rita Wright she released one of Motown's best underrated singles, Ashford and Simpson's "I Can't Give Back the Love That You Feel for Me." By the early '70s she married Stevie Wonder and wrote the lyrics to such classics as "Blame It on the Sun" and "If You Really Love Me." Her first album release was late 1974's Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta. While that effort featured all of the tracks as collaborations between Wonder and Wright, One to One has her co-writing five of the tracks here, and this album is produced by Leon Ware. Wright and Ware's romantic and hooky "I Don't Know" is nearly brilliant, but runs overlong. "Don't Cry" also has time concerns, but it is the perfect pitch for Wright's voice and has a great saxophone solo from Gary Bartz. The emotional "I Too Am Wanting," like all of the Wright and Ware collaborations, suggests that the two had the potential of being a good writing team. Wonder's "Harmour Love" from 1975 shows up here, but it's not one of his strongest songs or productions. While One to One does have the requisite, pensive and sensual sound of intelligent late-'70s R&B efforts, it was released a little too late to capitalize on its virtues. ~ Jason Elias