In the Night

by Jason AnkenyCheryl Lynn's third Columbia LP pairs the singer with producer Ray Parker, Jr., who strips away the remaining vestiges of disco-era sensibilities to focus on appealingly heartfelt R&B that radiates with warmth. While In the Night boasts its fair share of dancefloor-ready material -- the opening "Shake It Up Tonight" even cracked the Billboard R&B Top Ten -- it's the more mellow and romantic songs that command attention, and for all of its considerable sass, Lynn's voice also boasts a vulnerability that's truly affecting. [In the Night was reissued a quarter century later in tandem with its follow-up, 1982's Instant Love, as part of a Collectables two-fer.]