Time Is Slipping Away

Some artists are quite happy being redundant and predictable; they become known for a particular style and dare not stray from it. But Dexter Wansel isn't like that; when the producer/composer/keyboardist/vocalist recorded four albums for Philadelphia International in the late '70s, he made certain that all of them were diverse and unpredictable. True to form, Wansel keeps listeners guessing on 1979's Time Is Slipping Away, which was the last of the four. The LP gets off to a Chic-influenced start with the lush, glossy disco number "I'll Never Forget (My Favorite Disco)," but most of the other material isn't disco. Time Is Slipping Away also contains everything from Parliament-minded P-funk ("Funk Attack") to sophisticated quiet storm music ("The Sweetest Pain") to instrumental jazz-funk ("One for the Road"). Occasionally, this album is excellent — "The Sweetest Pain," which features female vocalist Terry Wells, is a caressing gem that quickly became a favorite on quiet storm formats. But for the most part, Time Is Slipping Away is merely decent. Unlike Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, or Earth, Wind & Fire, Wansel didn't record a lot of albums that were superb from start to finish. Nonetheless, his Philadelphia International output was generally likable, and this LP is no exception.