Dream Of A Lifetime

Portions of DREAM are culled from numerous secret recordings Gaye had made over the years. The rest comes from the album he was working on before his death. In this sense, DREAM is Gaye's last record. Fans of his classic '60s albums may take issue with the heavily synthesized feel of the sonic landscape here, Truth be told, Gaye seems more like himself than ever. Unlike fellow smooth-soul legend Al Green, who sacrificed his secular sensuousness for more sacred subjects, Gaye has gone in the opposite direction--so much so that the record carries a lyrical-content warning. Gaye isn't afraid to push boundaries. Witness the master/slave narrative of "Masochistic Beauty." Everything about such tracks as "Savage In The Sack" is nasty, including the grooves. DREAMS isn't just the squeak of bedsprings, however. Gaye is in equally fine form as a sensitive balladeer, investigating the gentler side of love ("Symphony") and his own life ("Life's Opera" and the title track). The last lines of "Dream Of A Lifetime" almost sound like parting words: "I may want to cry with the past/But it's easier to laugh about it/I thank God for my wonderful life." At such moments, DREAM serves as a quiet eulogy, reminding listeners to also be thankful for Gaye's singular, precious talent.