Let Me Know You

by Greg PratoThink back for a second to what pop music sounded like during the early '80s. For most pop acts that scored hits during this era, it was of the super-slick variety -- most of which seemed to be played by musicians who were in fact session players. Although having roots in rock and fusion, bass great Stanley Clarke was not usually prone to taking the pop plunge -- but boy, did he ever with his 1982 release, Let Me Know You. Nothing here reflects the exceptional and groundbreaking work of his past fusion classics Journey to Love or School Days. What you get instead are loads of Kool & the Gang-esque tunes, including "Straight to the Top" and "The Force of Love." In fact, it's not until the album-closing "New York City" that Clarke truly cuts loose on the bass (which, undoubtedly, most people buying this album came to hear). Elsewhere, you would think that a song titled "Play the Bass" would showcase Clarke's four-string talents -- in actuality, it's merely a short little detour. Carlos Santana even drops by to lay down a few solos, but there's no saving Let Me Know You -- one of Clarke's weakest releases of his solo career.