My Name Is Jermaine

by Ed Hogan My Name Is Jermaine was Jermaine Jackson's first Motown album released after his brothers, the rest of the Jackson 5, had left the label for CBS Records. As pointed out in the top-rated 1992 ABC-TV miniseries The Jacksons: The American Dream, Jermaine felt loyalty towards the man, Berry Gordy, and the label, Motown, that had catapulted him and his family into superstardom. The first single was the classic disco single "Let's Be Young Tonight," co-written and produced by Michael Lovesmith. Labelmate Thelma Houston's vocals are interwoven throughout the LP's tracks. The Lovesmith-produced "Faithful" is one of the best vocal showcases for Jermaine and features a sizzling duet break between him and Houston. Even though Jermaine is pictured with a bass on the cover, there were no musician's credits on the original record album. So it's a mystery as to who's responsible for the outstanding, hyperkinetic bass playing on the tight cuts "Look Past My Life" and "Tonight"'s flip side "Bass Odyssey." Kenneth Lupper infuses gospel-tinged piano and organ on the sly, slow "Who's That Lady." The LP's last two tracks find Jackson at his most romantic on the record. Both the shimmering, string-filled "Stay With Me" and tender "I Just Want to Thank You" have an airy, classical romanticism, while the sax-led slow jam "My Touch of Madness" written by Michael Lovesmith received radio play as an album track and can be heard on some movie soundtracks. "Let's Be Young Tonight," is on the 1991 Motown CD Jermaine Jackson-Greatest Hits & Rare Classics.