Karyn White

Karyn White may not be a name you are immediately familiar. Now aged 51 and having not released an album for 4 years, her long awaited fourth studio album, Carpe Diem, White is often one of the overlooked vocalists of the late 80s and early 90s. Having come to the attention of LA Reid and Babyface, she debuted in the US in 1988 with the #7 charting The Way You Love Me. It would take her second single, Superwoman, to start to break her in the UK. Peaking at #11, it should have kickstarted a glorious chart reign. While the hits kept coming in the States, peaking with the #1 charting Romantic in 1991, she failed to ever top her Superwoman status.

Just under 30 years since the release of her eponymous debut album, Cherry Red Records have revisited the collection with an extended insight into her under-celebrated backcatalogue. With 19 additional songs added into the collection - from unheard releases to striking remixes, the Cherry Red Records re-release of Karyn White is clearly targeted at her remaining fanbase, but is a release that warrants exploration by a new generation.

While she may not have ever made the big time, she certainly deserved to. For Karyn White was not just about the looks, she had the voice and the songs to set her apart from her contemporaries. With an album of songs that explored human themes that we all relate to, centering primarily on love and marriage, this is classic R&B that is timeless in its construction.

Although there is no denying that the anthemic Superwoman is the collection's strongest cut, and as relevant in topic today as at the time of it's release, there is plenty more to Karyn White than her biggest hit. Secret Rendezvous will make anyone nostalgic for their past liaisons, while Don't Mess With Me and Family Man are irrepressible jams that you can't help but get lost in. However it is the magical One Wish, which is the perfect love song, that comes closest to stealing Superwoman's crown.