Lisa Stansfield - Real Love (Japan Edition) (1991) CD-Rip

Real Love is the second studio album by British singer Lisa Stansfield, released by Arista Records on 11 November 1991. Stansfield co-wrote all songs with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris. Devaney and Morris also produced the album. Real Love received positive reviews from music critics and reached top ten on the charts in various countries, including number three in the United Kingdom.

Real Love received positive reviews from music critics. Alex Henderson from AllMusic wrote that the album contains "definite gems", "including the poigant and heartbreaking ballad 'All Woman,' the spunky 'Soul Deep' and the sleek 'Set Your Loving Free.'" He added that Real Love is "far superior to most '90s R&B" and Stansfield is a "major talent". Marisa Fox from Entertainment Weekly stated that with Real Love, "Stansfield prove[d] she isn't just another soul crooner with robust vocals and an air of longing. The aptly titled Real Love is a collection of steamy love songs, accented with flutes, horns, and sometimes, lush, Barry White-like orchestration. Stansfield has cut out slogans in favor of meaty personal politics, taking a more clinical look at what triggers her emotions. On 'Symptoms of Loneliness and Heartache,' she reaches deep down in her heart (and throat) to tell an ex: 'I don't see emotion or quality of life/Just symptoms of loneliness and heartache.' And yet she isn't afraid to cut loose, as on 'It's Got to Be Real.' Ultimately, Stansfield comes off as a hopeless romantic who has all the strength and determination to convert even the worst cynic." Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone wrote that Stansfield is "one of the first British stars to redo American pop-soul styles of the Seventies. Shaped with the help of her songwriting and producing collaborators Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, her retro disco crossbreeds the harmonic vocabulary of mid-Seventies Philly soul with the lush, cheesy textures of Barry White and his Love Unlimited Orchestra. Up-to-the-minute electronic dance beats make it all sound contemporary. What makes the mix special is Stansfield's wantonly emotive singing, which is "as luscious as melting chocolate." On her second album, her voice is even richer and the arrangements more inventive and far-reaching than on Affection, her 1989 debut. The new album's gem, 'All Woman' is an almost overripe ballad about a long-suffering wife that sounds tailor-made for Gladys Knight, although Knight would have a hard time topping Stansfield's version. Like everything else on the album, from the trancelike disco prayer of the title track to the inspirational lover's promise 'Set Your Loving Free,' Real Love turns the world into a 'gold-and-velvet-trimmed valentine box in which romantic dreams are all that matter.'" Accordong to Q, the album is "excellent" and Musician stated that it is a "knockout" with "shrewd and heartfelt music". The New York Times wrote that Stansfield brings danceable mid-1970s-style pop to a "pinnacle of musical sophistication and emotional heat." Robert Christgau chose "All Woman" as the best track on the album. According to CD Universe, Real Love features a "number of top-notch tunes, most notably the hit singles 'Change' and 'All Woman.' While the former song plays up the energetic, club-oriented aspect of Stansfield's aesthetic, the latter number is a R&B ballad that reinforces the vocalist's reputation as one of England's finest blue-eyed-soul acts. The album's true charm, however, lies in its underrated album cuts, particularly the celebratory 'Soul Deep,' which includes funky Stevie Wonder-like keyboard lines, and the emotive string-tinged title track.