L.T.D. - Love Magic (2018)

L.T.D. suffered quite a loss when Jeffrey Osborne, a jewel of a lead singer, left to pursue a solo career in 1980. For L.T.D., losing Osborne was like the Commodores losing Lionel Richie or Van Halen losing David Lee Roth -- it was a major blow, although not a fatal one. Osborne was replaced by two new lead vocalists: Leslie Wilson and Andre Ray, both of them talented, expressive soulsters who demonstrated that they could handle the job nicely. Many Osborne admirers greeted Love Magic, L.T.D.'s first post-Osborne album, with skepticism, but this 1981 LP is surprisingly successful. A few of the tunes, in fact, are excellent, including the sweaty funk hit "Kickin' Back," the sweet ballad "April Love," and the sociopolitical "It Must End" (which finds L.T.D. making an unexpected detour into reggae). And even though most of the other songs fall short of remarkable, they're still decent. Love Magic isn't among L.T.D.'s essential albums, but it's an enjoyable effort that proved there could be life after Jeffrey Osborne for the soul/funk band. -- Alex Henderson