Fever

by Jason AnkenyFever is all style and no substance. If one still doubts Roy Ayers has lost his way, merely consider his disco version of the pop standard title cut (which if nothing else anticipates Madonna's similarly misguided dance-pop cover). Or reflect on the dearth of new ideas and approaches. The album opener, "Love Will Bring Us Back Together," simply decelerates the tempo of Ayers' club smash "Running Away" to diminishing returns, while the airy "Is It Too Late to Try" mirrors the pastel-colored fusion of his You Send Me album. It's a hugely disappointing record regardless of how you spin it. The best advice is to not spin it at all.