Phyllis Hyman is one of the great underrated talents of American music. Blessed with terrific pipes, her career spanned over twenty years during which she released eight albums and won numerous awards (including a Tony for her work on the Broadway show Sophisticated Ladies). Despite a few hits, she never achieved real mainstream success. Sadly, Hyman suffered from depression and ended up taking her own life.
I first heard of her in 2008 by a circuitous route: a musical producer who had worked on an unreleased title song for the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, decided to release the song on the internet. Hyman had been the vocalist on the track. The next time I heard of her was when one of my favourite singers Will Downing brought her up during an interview.
Time of My Life is the last album released during her lifetime. I found it in a bargain bin a few weeks ago, and decided to give it a (metaphoric) spin.
This disc proves just how timeless and adaptable Hyman's voice was -- whether essaying a ballad, a new jack swing stomper or jazzy tune, she could handle them all.
Smooth and jazzy, 'When You Get Right Down To It' is right in my wheelhouse. Will Downing has turned out similar tracks to this, and it was the perfect entry point for me.
'Don't Wanna Change the World' is the most contemporary track on the album, a new jack anthem that Hyman sells like a pro. Sadly, it harkens back to the banal dance tracks of her Arista period ('Ride the Tiger').
It become her one big hit, which is sad considering the rest of the album.
Hyman gained creative control on her last album, which had been released in 1986. Despite the extended gap, aesthetically and thematically, Prime Of My Life feels like a continuation.
The songs are about heartbreak, in which Hyman plays a woman strung along and betrayed by a lover, or trying to pick out the lessons for the future.
Even the slight tilts toward more upbeat-sounding tracks are ultimately melancholic, like 'I Can’t Take It Anymore' (the title should have been a clue).
Ending with one of the best songs Hyman ever recorded, 'Meet Me On The Moon', Prime Of My Life is one of Hyman's signature works.
I cannot say I listen to it all the way through regularly. It is singularly downbeat, yet Hyman brings such a sense of hope and yearning that makes the songs uplifting.
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