Robbie Dupree

Robbie Dupree sang in an a cappella group on Brooklyn street corners in the 1960s. This debut arrived in 1980. ‘Steal Away’ and ‘Hot Rod Hearts’ became hits and brought him straight to the front line of the scene. His sound's similarity to theirs even earned him the nickname ‘the one-man Doobie Brothers.’ Yet these largely soulful but also pop-oriented, elegant songs and their backing have a high quality of their own. Above all, the urbane, sophisticated atmosphere remains wholly unfaded more than thirty years later. This Grammy-nominated newcomer's record truly deserves to be called evergreen.

Like its New York-born singer, the songs are rich in shade and feeling. ‘It's a Feeling,’ ‘We Both Tried’ and ‘Lonely Runner’ have mellow melodies touched by sorrow, gently outlining the heart's subtleties for people living in cities. They slip into the listener's heart without strain. Dupree's singing, which refines elements of black music, deserves even greater recognition.