DIONNE WARWICK - She's Back (2019) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The title She's Back implies Dionne Warwick has been gone for much longer than the five years that separate the record from its predecessor, 2014's Feels So Good, but it's intended to convey that this 2019 album finds Warwick returning to R&B and soul, the music that originally made her a star in the '60s. The publicity surrounding She's Back claimed that this was her first R&B album since Soulful, an LP released on Scepter way back in 1969, but to a certain extent, this is a matter of splitting hairs. Warwick kept having R&B hits well into the late '80s and she easily glided between soul and easy listening even at the start of her career. What is different about She's Back is how it, like the Chips Moman co-production Soulful, is explicitly targeted at the R&B charts. Of course, R&B has changed significantly in the five decades separating the two LPs, something that producer Damon Elliot -- who doubles as Dionne Warwick's son -- does not ignore. Elliot paints She's Back with all manners of modern flair: the rhythms are electronic, the instruments largely synthesized, and the bass is often cranked. Several vocalists are invited to help broaden Warwick's appeal, too. Her duet partners are relatively old-fashioned (Kenny Lattimore, Brian McKnight), relatively hip (Musiq Soulchild), and certainly surprising (Krayzie Bone, whose verse on "Déjà Vu" is disarming), and they all help nudge She's Back into the 21st century, even if the overall aesthetic remains lodged in the 20th century. Often, She's Back seems like a hybrid between Warwick's silky uptown '60s classics and '80s quiet storm, a blend that has its appeal but is tarnished slightly by the stiffness of the production and Warwick's diminished range. Since the album relies so heavily on ballads and slow jams, it becomes apparent that Warwick's voice isn't as supple as it once was, a transition that is inevitable with age, but the songs and settings of She's Back cast this human deficit in an unfortunately harsh light. [Initial editions of She's Back contained a remastered version of Warwick's 1998 album Dionne Sings Dionne as a bonus disc.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
She's Back    
1-1        Am I Dreaming
Arranged By – James Anthony Carmichael
Arranged By [Orchestra String] – Matt Jones
Arranged By [String] – Donald Burnside
Bass – Jeremiah Hunt
Cello – Andrew Bukowinski, Myrtil Mitanga
Featuring – Musiq Soulchild
Harp – Lauran Hayes
Producer – Damon Elliott, Musiq Soulchild, Teddy Harmon
Viola – Danielle Taylor, Istvan Loga
Violin – Alexandra Switala, Alexandria Hill, Ana Bivol, Angelica D'Costa, Ari Urban*, Katherine Andrick, Olya Prohorova
Written-By – Sam Dees
1-2        Tears Ago
Arranged By [Orchestra String] – Matt Jones
Arranged By [String] – Donald Burnside
Bass – Jeremiah Hunt
Cello – Andrew Bukowinski, Myrtil Mitanga
Harp – Lauran Hayes
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Viola – Danielle Taylor (2), Istvan Loga
Violin – Alexandra Switala, Alexandria Hill, Ana Bivol, Angelica D'Costa, Ari Urban, Katherine Andrick, Olya Prohorova
Written-By – Rahsaan Patterson
1-3        What Color Is Love
Featuring – Kenny Lattimore
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Terrence Callier
1-4        How Do You Keep The Music Playing
Featuring – Kevon Edmonds
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michael Jean Legrand
1-5        Deja Vu
Featuring – Krayzie Bone
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Adrienne Anderson, Isaac Hayes
1-6        Forever In My Heart
Featuring – Brian McKnight
Producer – Brian McKnight, Damon Elliott
Written-By – Brian McKnight
1-7        Dream With No Love
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Anthony Gibson, Gerald Levert
1-8        We're In Love
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Patti Austin
1-9        You Really Started Something
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Denise Rich, Luther Vandross
1-10        Two Ships
Bass – Brett Simons
Cello – Richard Dodd
Drums, Percussion – Brian Griffin
Featuring, Producer [Vocals] – Fiji
Guitar – Dean Parks
Producer [Vocals] – Damon Elliott
Producer, Piano, Keyboards, Horns, Percussion – Rob Shrock
Viola – Leah Katz, Ricky Miami
Violin – Christian Hebel, Daphne Chen, Marisa Kuney
Violin, Leader – Eric Gorfain
Written-By – Dionne Warwick
1-11        Life Is Waiting
Producer – Brenda Russell
Producer [Vocals] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Brenda Russell
1-12        If I Want To
Bass – Brett Simons
Cello – Richard Dodd
Drums, Percussion – Brian Griffin
Guitar – Kevin Afflack
Producer [Vocal] – Damon Elliott
Producer, Piano, Keyboards – Rob Shrock
Viola – Leah Katz, Ricky Miami
Violin – Christian Hebel, Daphne Chen, Marisa Kuney
Violin, Leader – Eric Gorfain
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
1-13        We Need To Go Back
Arranged By – Reverend Stefanie R. Minatee
Bass – Tony Mahone
Drums – Seidel Harris III
Featuring – Jubilation Choir
Keyboards – Rick Carlos, Scott Cumberbatch
Music Director [Choir] – Jared McClain
Producer – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Ashford And Simpson
1-14        What A Fool Believes
Bass – Brett Simons
Cello – Richard Dodd
Drums, Percussion – Brian Griffin
Guitar [Nylon] – Grecco Buratto
Producer [Vocals] – Damon Elliott
Producer, Piano, Keyboards, Percussion – Rob Shrock
Viola – Leah Katz, Ricky Miami
Violin – Christian Hebel, Daphne Chen, Marisa Kuney
Violin, Leader – Eric Gorfain
Written-By – Kenneth Loggins, Michael McDonald
1-15        What The World Needs Now
Arranged By – Reverend Stefanie R. Minatee
Bass – Tony Mahone
Drums – Seidel Harris III
Featuring – Jubilation Choir
Keyboards – Rick Carlos (2), Scott Cumberbatch
Music Director [Choir] – Jared McClain
Producer – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
Dionne Sings Dionne    
2-1        Walk On By
Producer [Uncredited] – Steve Tyrell
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-2        Love Begins With You
Producer [Uncredited] – Attala Zane Giles, Kevin Dorsey
Written-By – Zane Giles, Larry Weiss
2-3        Reach Out For Me
Featuring – El DeBarge, The Emotions
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-4        High Upon This Love
Producer [Uncredited] – Attala Zane Giles
Written-By – Weitz, Bell, Elliott, Kurtz, Allocco
2-5        I Say A Little Prayer
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-6        (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me
Featuring – Jonathan Butler
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-7        If I Want To
Producer [Uncredited] – George Duke
Written-By – Burt Bacharach, Will Jennings
2-8        Aquarela Do Brazil
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Ary Barroso, S.K. Russell
2-9        I Promise You
Producer [Uncredited] – George Duke
Written-By – Fred Busby, Wayne Holmes
2-10        Be My Neighbor
Featuring – Tyrese
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Damon Elliott, Ted Harmon, Tyrese
2-11        All Kinds Of People
Producer [Uncredited] – Rob Shrock
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-12        What The World Needs Now Is Love
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-13        Do You Know The Way To San Jose?
Featuring – Celia Cruz
Producer [Uncredited] – Attala Zane Giles, Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-14        Humbly I Pray
Producer [Uncredited] – Tim Miner
Written-By – Tim Miner