I must say that I’m quite happy to be age appropriate for El DeBarge now.  Back when I had the 6th grade crush and figured it would be okay to run off and marry him…not so much. 

I’ve been listening to his new album, Second Chance, and it is fantastic.  He is beyond blessed to have his smooth, three-octave voice still preserved.  Hearing him scale up to those falsetto heights takes me back to a time when R&B music success was based upon vocal ability paired with musical hooks versus visual style and auto-tune.  His return to releasing music after 16 years as well as his recovery from decades of drug addiction are a testament to the opportunities for change that life holds.

One of the gems on my life theme songs list, Love Me in a Special Way by DeBarge.  Music for my closet romantic.

And his new solo gem, Second Chance.