Personnel: Jody Watley (vocals); Derrick Edmonson (various instruments); Angelo Earl (acoustic & electric guitars); Dwight Sills, Morris O'Connor (acoustic guitar, guitar); Glenn "Arthur" McKinney (guitar, keyboards); Tory Ruffin (guitar); Lili Haydn (violin); Keith Crouch (strings, Moog synthesizer, drums); David Jackson (accordion); Rodney Lee (Fender Rhodes, keyboards); Dwight Sills (guitar); Stan Sargent, Felton Cole, Jr. (bass); Brannen Temple (drums); Dirk "Masta C" Brown (vinyl scratches); Yvette Cason, Tammy Sales (background vocals).
Engineers include: Chris Welton, Angelo Earl, Booker T. Jones III.
Personnel: Jody Watley (vocals, background vocals); Morris O'Connor (guitar, acoustic guitar); Glenn McKinney (guitar, keyboards); Tory Ruffin (guitar); Angelo Earl (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dwight Sills (acoustic guitar); Lili Haydn (violin); Kenneth Crouch (strings); David Jackson (accordion); Derrick Edmonson (saxophone, keyboards, programming); Rodney Lee (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Keith Crouch (Moog synthesizer, drums); Stan Sargeant (electric bass); Brannen Temple (drums); Yvette Cason (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Chris Welton; Angelo Earl; Booker T. Jones.
Recording information: Blue Note Osaka, Japan (1994); Blue Note, Osaka, Japan (1994); Studio 56 (1994).
Photographer: Michael Walls.
Unknown Contributor Role: Keith Crouch.
Arrangers: Derrick Edmonson; Jody Watley.
If any one 1980s superstar suffered an undeserved fall from grace it was Jody Watley, who, at one point in time, rivaled only Madonna in popularity. As the 1990s took shape, her popularity took a drastic downward turn, to the point where, by 1995, she had to release her fifth solo album, Affection, on her own label. The album came and went quickly, without scoring any hit singles. In retrospect, however, it stands the test of time pretty well, although it does lack the urgency and immediacy of her dance-era hits. Affection is an engaging collection of slow burning, mid-tempo, jazzy R&B, quite different from the music that had made her a star. "(We Gotta Be) Together," the summery "All Night Love Affair," "Pride and Joy," "The Beat Don't Stop" (which she sings in her lower register, similar to 1987's "Still a Thrill"), and the title track all fall under the aforementioned musical categories. The real gem, however, is "The Way (Pts. 1 & 2)," which is a smoldering, seductive, ten-minute jam, as good as any of her golden age output. A couple tracks, such as "Faithful" and "Stay," fall quite flat, but, overall, this is a fine, quality album, entirely undeserving of the fate it received. Additionally, there is a live jazzed up version of her classic "Lookin' for a New Love" that closes out the set. ~ Jose F. Promis minimize