Love Will Find Its Way (The Best Of Robert Owens)

Love Will Find Its Way: The Best of Robert Owens finds one of house music's most glorious voices getting a surprising -- but very welcome -- deluxe double-disc treatment. Among dance vocalists, Owens is ranked only by Byron Stingily, whose vocals are sweeter but definitely not as full of talent. Owens began his career in the mid-'80s, working with seminal Chicago producer Larry Heard, before making the jump to New York (and the dance charts) with vocals on a host of Def Mix hits by David Morales and Satoshi Tomiie. Out of the business for a few years during the mid-'90s (and owner of his own Christian bookstore), Owens returned to the dance mainstream with a prescient series of collaborative vocals, including Photek's "Mine to Give," one of the best of his career. Accomplishing a series of astonishing somersaults of licensing, this two-disc set includes every major Owens vocal of the past 18 years, including the rare vocal version of "Can U Feel It" by Fingers Inc. -- probably the most respected dance production of all time. Bunched together are several late-'80s Heard productions ("Bring Down the Walls," "Never No More Lonely"), a couple of Def Mix dance hits from the early '90s ("Tears," "Changes," "Visions"), and several recent-vintage tracks produced and performed by Owens himself ("After the Rain," "Love Will Find Its Way"). Though it buries some of his best performances deep in the discs and skips through time periods with abandon, it's simply impossible to be picky when such an important, usually overlooked figure is finally treated with the respect he deserves. ~ John Bush

ゲイ・テイストあふれる歌いっぷりで、ハウスをかじった人なら誰もが知ってるヴォーカリスト／プロデューサー、ロバート・オーウェンス。サトシ・トミイエのファースト・シングルにして出世曲“Tears”、一度聴いたらサビの部分が耳タコ状態になってしまう“I'll Be Your Friend”、フィンガーズ・インクでの“Mystery Of Love”などのクラシックス＋新曲の2枚組ベスト。これだけ聴いたら満腹です!
bounce (C)堀内幸江