Phyllis Hyman

There's an eerie foreshadowing in listening to this two-disc collection. Phyllis Hyman was found dead after committing suicide on June 30, 1995 just hours before a show. I Refuse to Be Lonely was released just months after on the Philadelphia International imprint. The respected label picked up Hyman and helped to rejuvenate her career during the '90s, and I Refuse to Be Lonely was filled with potent, bittersweet love songs that waver between utter heartbreak and empowerment with a brute honesty that can be overwhelming at points. Hyman never fully received the credit she deserved and this album, along the with the posthumous collection of unreleased tracks on Forever with You showed just how much promise was left untouched, and how deep a void was now present within the R&B community with her loss. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide