Album Review: Thelma Houston - "A Woman's Touch"

On her first album in 17 years, ex-disco diva Thelma Houston shows that even though she's been away from for the spotlight for a more than a little while, she still has the vocal skills that can pay the bills. Her new album takes takes songs originally recorded by men and slightly revamps them to add a feminine perspective and slightly modern twist. The result is an album that isn't particularly necessary and doesn't contain many fresh ideas, but if you're a fan of old-school '70s & 80s R&B and disco music, then you'll get some enjoyment out of A Woman's Touch.

The good news is that all of the 10 tracks on A Woman's Touch were originally recorded by men, but to the credit of Thelma and the songs' writers, it's not a stretch to hear them remade by a woman. Some contain universal, non-gender specific themes, such as the making the world better and being in love.

But the bad news is that none of the remakes really comes close to matching the quality of the original. Thelma's remake of Luther Vandross's "Never Too Much" sounds like something you'd hear at a Las Vegas revue, or even as the piped-in music you're made to listen to when on hold during a business phone call. Likewide, her version of Sting's "Brand New Day" sounds like something you'd hear in a television commercial.

Although the album's concept is solid, the execution definitely leaves something to be desired. For the most part, the blame for this isn't Thelma's. Despite not having released a new solo album in well over a decade and a half, her vocal chops are still definitely intact. She still has a clear, strong voice - stronger and more powerful in fact, than many singers half her age. But the album's dated production reduces Thelma to nostalgia act status, instead of updating and reinvigorating her persona for the 2000s.

That's not to say that there aren't some good songs on the album: her bluesy version of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar," in which she shouts out her hometown (and mine) of Long Beach, California is a treat, as is her cover of Sylvester's "Dance (Disco Heat)/You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," which plays up her disco roots.