★★★★★
Back in 1979, disco ruled, and those urban artists who didn't jump on the train got run over. As hotter dance sounds commandeered popular radio, sweet soul groups like the Stylistics suddenly found themselves without an audience for their albums. But not the Manhattans...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
Dedicated journeymen, true songs of the street corner, they ended up outlasting even the Chi-Lites, making their mark and their living adding greaseless Barry White moves to old-fashioned slow stuff, and they deserved the fluke crossover "Shining Star," which made this album possible...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Things changed considerably for The Manhattans in the early '70s. George "Smitty" Smith left the group and later died tragically. Gerald Alston replaced him and the group signed with Columbia. The title track of this album was their first huge hit with Columbia, and quickly showed them how much clout a smash on a major label meant...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
This mid-'60s harmonic R&B; set is worth a search.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Although this was a nice album, The Manhattans were beginning to encounter problems in the mid-'80s with Columbia. The hits were drying up, and although their harmonies and Alston's soothing leads were still first-rate, they had become strictly an R&B; band in appeal and weren't generating any pop attention. They tried being even smoother and more romantic than ever, softening the production and toning down the group interaction...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
A good, although not classic or spectacular, early '80s Manhattan album. The group dipped a bit from its peak of 1980, in part because the company chose to issue a greatest hits album in 1980 rather than just ride out an internal situation and wait for a fresh release. They got two more chart hits out of the album, but never regained the momentum or status they enjoyed in 1980.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Another addition to the Manhattans' bulging cache of mellow sounds. Gerald Alston, Winnie Lovett, Ernest Bivens and Kenny Kelly made a career of recording romance, heartache and make-out tunes. The popular "We Never Danced to a Love Song" fits in well with their other ballads, as does the majestic "It Just Can't Stay this Way" and "Let's Start All Over Again...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
The finest Manhattan album in their second incarnation. The original group with George Smith had a slightly rougher, more traditional R&B;/doo-wop sound, while the soul unit featuring Gerald Alston was smoother, but no less anthemic, especially on ballads. This album didn't make it as high on the pop charts as their self-titled '76 work, but had more consistently compelling tracks. "Shining Star" and "Girl Of My Dream" are masterful ballads.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
You could pull 15 or 20 Manhattans tracks at random and come up with a winning compilation every time. Consistency and quality exemplified every song they waxed at CBS. They never strayed far from the tight paradigm that define them. The only negative is its brevity -- only ten songs (far too short for a CD), but Gerald Alston's smooth leads and seasoned harmonies from Kenny Kelly, Ernest Bivins and Winnie Lovett harmonies make each song a special delivery.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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