Sometimes Late at Night

Carole Bayer Sager began her songwriting career with ‘A Groovy Kind of Love,’ a 1965 hit for the Mindbenders. She debuted as a singer in 1977, at 30, and wrote numerous hits in collaboration with Peter Allen, Melissa Manchester, Marvin Hamlisch, Albert Hammond and David Foster. She is hardly an accomplished vocalist, but the way her husky whisper of a voice sings casually has its own flavour. This third solo record is full of love, made with Burt Bacharach, with whom she was then romantically involved and whom she married in 1982.

Most songs are co-written by Carole and Bacharach, and form a medley without breaks, making the entire album a flowing concept of love. Bacharach also plays piano; his beautiful arrangements bring things into focus. David Foster arranged three tracks, adding rhythmic contrast through strongly AOR-coloured sound. ‘Just Friends,’ with Michael Jackson on backing vocals, is another highlight. Its generous sweetness is comfortable.