Black Ivory

Built around Leroy Burgess' sugary leads and Stuart Bascombe and Russell Patterson's close harmonies, Black Ivory's Today recordings dripped with emotion, but their drama went virtually unnoticed outside the tri-state area from New York City down through New Jersey to Philadelphia. Via CD magic, Castle delivers their first two albums in one package. The misleading title has you thinking there were three LPs; however, "Spinning Around" and "Baby, Won't You Change Your Mind" were both on the Baby, Won't You Change Your Mind album. This disk is crammed with heart crushers aplenty, including the already mentioned along with "Don't Turn Around," "Time Is Love," "Wishful Thinking," "Find the One Who Loves You," and "You and I." Castle even included their excellent "We Made It," which dropped after their first two albums were compiled; it's a nice bonus, a ballad on which Burgess forsakes his falsetto and sings au naturel. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide