Phyllis Hyman’s “Goddess of Love” Is Revisited By SoulMusic Records

Phyllis Hyman sure looked like a Goddess of Love on the cover of her 1983 album of the same name.  Now, the striking and statuesque former fashion model’s fourth and final album for Arista Records is back.  It’s just been reissued by Cherry Red’s SoulMusic imprint in an expanded edition that boasts two more tracks than Reel Music’s 2010 release.

In a quest to find Hyman a degree of commercial success commensurate with her great talent, Clive Davis paired her with different producers for each one of her Arista albums.  1979’s Somewhere in My Lifetime (itself recently reissued by SoulMusic) featured productions by Larry Alexander and Skip Scarborough, T. Life, and Barry Manilow and Ron Dante.  You Know How to Love Me, from later the same year, was helmed by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas.  1981’s Can’t We Fall in Love Again was produced by Chuck Jackson and Norman Connors, individually and collectively.  Finally, for Arista swansong Goddess of Love, Davis and Hyman turned to an obvious choice.  That choice was Thom Bell, whose song “Betcha by Golly Wow” provided most people’s introduction to Hyman in 1976.  She had gone on to record two more Bell songs on her eponymous solo debut for Buddah, and the two old friends collaborated on the soundtrack to The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.  As they began recording Goddess, Bell was riding high from the success of his co-productions with vocalist Deniece Williams.  But his work would be supplemented, at Clive Davis’ behest, by three songs from Narada Michael Walden.  Apparently, Davis hadn’t smelled a hit in the eight tracks produced by the Philly soul legend, only six of which made the final album cut.

Hit the jump for much more, including the track listing and order link!