The Pointer Sisters Albums (17)
What The Critics Say
With a big push from their Blue Thumb label, who introduced the band by way of a full-page ad in Billboard magazine, the Pointer Sisters took their eponymous debut straight to the top of the R&B charts in summer 1973 on the strengths of their penchant for mixing classic '60s R&B with fresh forward-thinking grooves. Add the sisters' harmonies and complex vocal moves, and there's no doubt the group was destined for a fast rise. Produced by David Rubinson, The Pointer Sisters contained effusive covers that cradled two of the Pointers' own compositions. That remarkable combo, then, allowed the Allen Toussaint classic "Yes We Can Can" to rub shoulders with the original "Jada," a boogie blues-shaded slab of jazz, and a perfect fingerprint of the eclectic style that would define the Pointers' core. That same bent also allowed them to give equal energy to the Willie Dixon gem "Wang Dang Doodle," a song which quickly became a live set favorite, and also to their own "Sugar." Other high points include "River Boulevard," a mid-tempo vocal that gives way to a light rock riot. It was easy to see exactly where the Pointer Sisters were headed. With talent to spare and an energy that was fresh and unending, this set emerges a cohesive and joyous cabaret, allowing the quartet to do what it does best. Listening to these earliest gems, it's no surprise, then, that the band would spend the better part of the next two decades in the charts. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
'Ain't Misbehavin' (The New Cast Recording)'
Release Date 1/16/1996
Tracks 17
Label RCA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The full title of this record is The Pointer Sisters in Highlights from Ain't Misbehavin', and it is billed as "the new cast recording." What all of this explains is that it captures a performance by a newly assembled revival cast of the 1970s musical revue based on 1930s music associated with Fats Waller, a cast consisting of Anita, June, and Ruth Pointer, Eugene Barry-Hill, and Michael-Leon Wooley. Shortly before the album's recording session on October 8, 1995, the show embarked on a national road tour booked to last through most of 1996 and intended to stop on Broadway eventually. In the meantime, the recording finds the always lively Waller material performed with zest. The Pointers started out in the '70s affecting a nostalgic style, and the Waller songs allow them to indulge a talent for theatrical blues and bawdy singing. If they can dance as well as they sing, this edition of Ain't Misbehavin' should be a match for earlier ones. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After a troubled, one-album affiliation with Motown Records, the Pointer Sisters entered into a troubled, one-album affiliation with SBK Records. That one album was Only Sisters Can Do That, on which producer/songwriter/synthesizer player Peter Wolf (not to be confused with the J. Geils Band singer), who had given Starship several hits, was intended to take over the job of group Svengali previously handled by David Rubinson and then Richard Perry. Wolf put together his typical, highly polished musical tracks, playing most of the instruments himself, over which the Pointers sang with their usual enthusiasm. The trouble was that pop production styles had moved to a more intricate, R&B-influenced sound typified by the hits of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, so that Wolf's tracks sounded out of date, and none of the compositions was sufficiently memorable to buck the tide. It didn't help that SBK, which had looked like a hot start-up label in the early 1990s with hits by Wilson Phillips, Vanilla Ice, and Jon Secada, was cooling off noticeably. Soon, the label was history and, with two consecutive non-charting albums, so were the Pointers as a current recording act. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A switch to Motown didn't do wonders for the Pointer Sisters, as they hit the label during its nadir. They got substandard songs, only routine production and arrangements, and didn't sound very inspired on any number. They only stayed at the label a short time, and while the album hasn't been deleted, it's no wonder they returned to RCA. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Pointer Sisters' 13th charting LP, 1985's Contact, was an exercise in slick, edgy, synthesized pop with June, Anita, and Ruth Pointer trading vocal duties. Both "Dare Me" and "Freedom," easily the best songs here, peeled off the album and marched straight onto the singles charts. The former was an audacious, rough-and-ready come-on draped in a samba beat, wrapped in period trimmings, and brimming with sharp vocal harmonies. The latter, on the other hand, graced the R&B Top 30 with a quiet, soulful dream, riding a light beat and little instrumentation. Elsewhere, though, the band packs in the punches across a steady flow of up-tempo grooves that heavy-handedly overlay synthesizers at almost every turn, most notably on "Twist My Arm," "Back in My Arms," and "Bodies and Souls." Listeners can only take a breather when the Pointer Sisters do, on the more restrained "Hey You" and Contact." Overall, though, this set is a workout worthy of leg warmers. While it can be said that there is not one thing technically wrong with Contact, neither is there anything that stands out as representative of the band at their best. Consummate performers, the trio is in excellent voice, their harmonies as pure as always. But by 1985 they seemed to have hit a plateau, not striving to change, but apparently happy enough to add synth pop R&B to a market already glutted with the stuff. And, ultimately, the set -- good as it is -- founders in the decade's own miasma. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By the time the Pointer Sisters unleashed their 1983 Break Out LP, they had racked up six Top Ten singles spread between the pop and R&B charts. Break Out would prove to be their new wave breakthrough, peppering both charts with five further songs -- half the album -- while the LP itself spent over a year on the charts. Astute performers, the Pointer Sisters had embraced the 1980s' penchant for synthesized sonics wholeheartedly and used them to fine effect across songs that were upbeat and slick, space-age dance grooves that brought a new dimension to the trio's sound. Both "Jump (For My Love)" and "Automatic" were massive hits during early 1984, as both injected the sisters' trademark harmonies with fresh grooves that culminated in an appealing blend of old and new. "Neutron Dance," meanwhile, with Ruth Pointer's rich lead vocal laying over an extraordinarily snappy and nearly frenetic melody, did double duty, also featuring in the film Beverly Hills Cop. Using those three songs as a springboard, Break Out powers on through one groover after another with few surprises, although "Dance Electric" combines a synthesizer straight out Human League territory with a blistering guitar solo and "Easy Persuasion" emerges as a smoky ballad of sorts. Although Break Out is a far cry from the Pointer Sisters' earliest intentions, it still charms and pleases. It's a vital part of the early-'80s tapestry, a sonic signpost for the ultimate feel-good generation. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Sandwiched in between the heavy hitting Black and White and Break Out LPs, the Pointer Sisters' 1982 So Excited effort may not have managed the Top Ten, but impacted the scene nevertheless, as the group took three singles into charts that year. The opening, and best remembered track from the set, "I'm So Excited," delivered a punch-drunk, rapid fire snap straight into the dance clubs, following the marvelous, mid tempo swing song "American Music" up the charts with a combination of urgent beats and sassy harmony that fall. And, while these songs, along with chart mate "If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady" certainly merit their successes, there are several other moments on the album which actually prove more interesting. The Sue Shifrin penned "See How the Love Goes," which is hauntingly reminiscent of Peter Frampton's "Show me the Way," emerged a gorgeously melancholy melody that hovered somewhere between ballad and smooth groove and showcased Anita Pointer's lead vocals perfectly, while the sisters turned in a surprising cover of Prince's "I Feel for You" two years before Chaka Khan recorded what has become the definitive version. While it's true that the songs on So Excited pale markedly in comparison to the best of the Pointer Sisters' remarkable oeuvre, there are still plenty of unexpected guitar solos and heavy harmonies to snap heads to attention. Even in an off year, the group found themselves happily ensconced in the Top Twenty. That's no small feat. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Their fourth album for Planet, 1981's Black & White, was also the Pointer Sisters' fourth Top Ten LP. Leaving behind some of the early soul that had taken them through the 1970s, the band now focused on a purer pop. Keeping one foot in the past while gingerly touching the waters of the future, it was a sound that perfectly welded their old intentions to the mainstream diva flag they'd unfurl a little later in the decade. With more than a few major hits already behind them, it was clear that by this time the band was approaching their peak. Across the sweet pop of the opening "Sweet Lover Man," the oddly frenetic harmonies of "We're Gonna Make It," and onto the light rap of "What a Surprise," the sisters were delivering a hammer-punch to the mainstream masses. But the Pointer Sisters were just getting started. The sensuous "Slow Hand," later revamped by country singer Conway Twitty, not only scored the Pointer Sisters a number two pop hit, but immediately became one of their signature songs. "Fall in Love Again," meanwhile, remained buried deep on side two, but should be considered one of Black & White's highlights. Gritty and funky, this is classic Pointer Sisters, deep and sensuous and shot through with producer Richard Perry's trademark rock & roll spangles. That only left the closing "Should I Do It?," with its old-school doo wop vibe, to close the sonic circle. And while the full impact of Black & White was left behind in the wake of what the Pointer Sisters would later be delivering, it remains a classic, as fragile in its breadth and scope as it is dramatic in its vision of the future. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Taking everything back a notch from 1979's rock & roll Priority LP, the Pointer Sisters slid into mellower waters, pulling from a pool of Burt Bacharach- and Carole Bayer Sager-penned numbers that were well suited to the re-emergence of the group's R&B stylings. And fans obviously liked what they heard, as the album climbed into the Top 20 in the summer of 1980. Hard-rocking riffs have been replaced by elastic basslines and bright brass punches on "Could I Be Dreaming," and it's a perfect cushion for Anita Pointer's rich vocals. A little further on, "Evil" keeps the brass and loops in some wah-wah guitar riffs, while June Pointer's passionate delivery blisters through the melee in this funk rock hybrid. And, of course, there are several wonderful down-tempo numbers, including the sleepy "This Love Is Too Good to Last" and "Here Is Where Your Love Belongs." But what shoved this LP up the charts was the smash "He's So Shy," which gave the band a number three hit. Now classic Pointer Sisters, the song edged out of the set and defined the more pop-oriented direction the band would take as the new decade gathered steam. Slow, sensual, and slightly melancholy, it brought synthesizers to the front of the action, putting the band smack in the middle of a musical revolution that itself was on the verge of explosion. Their timing couldn't have been better. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If the Pointer Sisters caused a puzzled ripple of amazement with the appearance of their rock & roll Planet debut, then they almost certainly broke the dam on 1979's ballsy, bluesed-out Priority. Taking rock covers to the next level and operating still under the guidance of producer Richard Perry, the group delivered another sophisticated set, yet this time barely creaked into the Top 50. Hoping to fuel the flames ignited by the success of their earlier Springsteen cover, "Fire," the Pointer Sisters made sure to take the Boss in tow on this new outing with "She's Got the Fever." Slow and smooth with vocals at the front, the song is the epitome of a late-night, low-light classic. But where things become most interesting is across covers of Ian Hunter's "Who Do You Love?," Graham Parker's "Turned up Too Late," and the Rolling Stones' "Happy." Three grimy rock & roll classics by three grungy bands seemed odd fodder for this R&B group, but not only did the Pointer Sisters hold their own on all counts, their own gospel-influenced vocal styles were surprisingly suited to the material. Elsewhere, a cover of British folky Richard Thompson's "Don't Let a Thief Steal Into Your Heart" is magnificent. The band rounds out the mix with a fabulous reevaluation of Bob Seger's "All Your Love." Priority is a remarkable, cohesive set. Unfortunately, it left many of the band's old fans a little unsure of where the Pointer Sisters were headed next, and not one song from the LP managed to crack the charts. Nevertheless, it's an interesting and vibrant sidestep in the band's development -- before the 1980s took hold and synth-popped them back to the top of the charts. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
