The Pointer Sisters: Special Things

There are no bells and whistles accompanying Wounded Bird’s re-issue of the Pointer Sisters’ Special Things (1980). Certainly, the material here deserves more than a hastily slapped together package but perhaps listeners should just appreciate that much of this music is finally making its debut on CD, including a bonus B-side (“Movin’ On”). Special Things marked the Pointer Sisters’ third album with producer Richard Perry, who re-vamped the act after sister Bonnie left to pursue a solo career at Motown in 1978. Perry’s ear for material spun pop gold for the Pointer Sisters. Though “He’s So Shy” was the only major hit off the album (#3 pop), there’s a wealth of classic material here, including the horn-driven opener “Could I Be Dreamin'”, the dance floor classic “We’ve Got the Power”, a pair of Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager tunes, and Anita Pointer’s own composition, “Special Things”. Hopefully this re-issue will spearhead a larger effort to bring all of the Pointer Sisters’ albums for Planet/RCA back into circulation rather than release another in a long line of budget compilations.