If this record is any indication, the solo albums prompted by LaBelle's dissolution are going to make everyone forget about the trio. Patti LaBelle's solo record is one of the finest R&B albums released this year. The songs, performance and production are all outstanding, and producer David Rubinson's arrangements make all the necessary rhythmic concessions to the disco market without sacrificing the music's personality.

Two of the album's uptempo songs—"Joy to Have Your Love" and "I Think about You"—sound like hit singles. "I Think about You" has one moment when the band stops and Patti trades off with the chorus in an Aretha Franklin-like gospel move. "Dan Swit Me," written by bassist Ray Parker Jr., Rubinson and two others, moves sprightly around Parker's sweating bass pattern and builds to a crisp Dixieland horn accompaniment in the solo chorus. The surprise here is a cover of Bob Dylan's "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" done as a New Orleans funk strut. Drummer James Gad-son punches out a solid bottom while the band goes to town.

Patti also gives good account of herself on two ballads that she cowrote, "You Are My Friend" and "Do I Stand a Chance," and on a big-production remake of "Since I Don't Have You," complete with swirlingly romantic strings.

Rubinson's production is remarkably tasteful. He uses the full range of sweeteners and blends everything so it doesn't have the wallpaper effect of many big-scale disco arrangements. The elements here complement and support Patti's voice rather than fight it. The wrong producer could have made this record a disaster, and Patti must share the success equally with Rubinson. (RS 249)

JOHN SWENSON