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Review of Sanchez's BACK AT ONE

© Ryan A. MacMichael

I've had a love/hate relationship with Sanchez albums. Some of them (like True Identity), while others have left an utterly bad taste in my mouth (like the self-produced Who is This Man). The latest offering from VP is considered a "Best of" and I was hoping it referred to Sanchez's excellent catalog of lovers rock and not his dabbling in the contemporary gospel sound.

Among the standout tunes are "For You" (produced by Winston Powell), "I Care for You" (produced by Bobby Dixon), and the Jammys-produced "End of the Road." Two songs that I really dug, surprisingly, were the tracks produced by Fattis, "Praise Him" and "Boom Boom Bye Bye" (I didn't care much for "Can't Remember the Last Time"). Other producers include Sanchez's son Lloyd "John John" James Jr. (who produced the excellent "Back at One"), Fatta and Bulby, Donovan Germain, Fashion, and Delroy Stanbury.

There's no doubt that Sanchez has a great voice. While it may not be the most distinct, it is consistantly strong even when his production is not. Back at One, for the most part, showcases Sanchez as the lovers singer we've grown to enjoy. I am confused why this collection was dubbed a "Best of" when VP released the excellent One in a Million in 1997, which served as a truly classic collection of Sanchez tunes. I do agree that Sanchez is the type of artist that deserves more than one "Best of" collection, but VP's marketing of these as unconnected releases is a bit odd.

In any event, there's no doubt that Sanchez fans will want to pick this one up. Casual listeners will want to start with One in a Million, but will likely want to move onto this disc to continue their Sanchez collection.

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