Donna Summer

Don't let the title cut put you off. "I Remember Yesterday" appears to be a plagiarism of the
sound and mannerisms of Dr. Buzzard's Original "Savannah" Band, but the steal is so
complete that all those woozy clarinets and disco-ized big-band riffs become Summer's
own. The rest of the album, however, is the luxurious stretching out of a performer just
beginning to realize her strengths and possibilities. Summer's achievement on I R... More >

Cut of the month is "Love's Unkind," a remake of "Then He Kissed Me" that I prefer to the original for the way its solo saxophone opens a window in the wall of sound. But the Supremes and Dr. Buzzard (and Natalie Cole?) takeoffs are stale if not stuffy, and when Kraftwerk goes to the disco the best you can usually hope for is air conditioning. (Grade: B-)