Billy Ocean - Suddenly [UK Import]

Billy Ocean found his second wind and then some on Suddenly, the 1984 album that turned a well-liked British soul singer into a worldwide star, offered here as a UK import.

Ocean had scored hits in the 1970s, but by the early 1980s he needed a fresh start. He found it in a slick, synth-heavy sound built for radio and the dance floor, and in producer Keith Diamond, who co-wrote the song that changed everything for him.

That song was Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run), a gleaming slab of synth-funk that topped the American charts and won him a Grammy. Loverboy followed with a harder, more theatrical edge, and the title track Suddenly proved he could hush a room with a ballad, all soft-focus keys and a vocal that sounds like it means every word. Mystery Lady keeps the groove sleek and nocturnal, the sound of neon reflecting off wet city streets.

Few albums capture the gloss and optimism of mid-1980s pop-soul quite so neatly. It is warm and immaculately produced, and it is built around a voice that could make even a breakup sound like something worth celebrating, which is exactly why these songs still turn up on every good wedding playlist.