Sing Out!
Vol. 38 No. 4 Feb./ March / April '94


Robin and Linda Williams
Turn Toward Tomorrow
Sugar Hill Records


This is prime Robin & Linda. Their "On and On" sums up their life and this recording. They sing of getting a kick out of the ride. They wrote nine of the eleven tracks, sometimes working with longtime collaborator Jerry Clark. The first rate songs are ignited with plenty of energy and their trademark harmonies, surrounded by pure, full country production. Jim Watson adds fine background vocals on four of the songs. "Seventeen Years Old" is a particularly poignant song of young love. "Chain of Pain" follows telling of a relationship a few years later. It rocks with a great commercial beat, yet delivers an insightful message without compromise. They reprise the terrific "Famous In Missouri," but in this telling Robin sings the lead. The male vocal interestingly changes the meaning of the song.

Amazingly, even songs they didn't write, such as "If I Didn't Have You" by Smith and Seals, sound like their own. "In the Country of the Night" tells of the night people with a truly catchy melody and beat. Linda has never sounded better than on the concluding "Lying To the Moon" a remarkably beautiful interpretation of the Berg and Samoset song.

John Jennings, who coproduced the album with Robin & Linda and provides most of the guitar, organ and bass accompaniment, deserves credit for steering them toward ideal production values that compliment their sound. This recording proves accessible to both their early fans and the many new ones this recording will garner. - RWarren

(c)1994 Sing Out! Used by permission. All rights reserved.