The high-flying confidence of
Rise
and the experimental bent of
Beyond
began to wear off by 1981, giving way to the more relaxed but musically weaker ministrations of
Magic Man
. With
Michael Stokes
, then
A&M
's director of Black Product/A&R, co-producing,
Alpert
came up with a pleasant collection of mostly forgettable, mild-mannered R&B/pop-slanted tunes, plus a fairly uneventful rendition-at-length of "Besame Mucho" and a redundant cha-cha/disco remake of his own "You Smile, The Song Begins."
's haunting trumpet still reflects his post-"Rise" sense of command, but he doesn't have much to say this time; the material holds him back. ~ Richard S. Ginell