Black Rose - Black Rose (1980)

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Black Rose was a band which featured Cher on vocals and her then boyfriend Les Dudek on guitar and vocals. Their only release was this 1980 album for Casablanca Records. If you read about this album and were expecting an album similar to "Allman & Woman - Two The Hard Way", then you're in for a surprise. Not sure it'll be a pleasant one, though. This album has none of the flash of the Les Dudek albums. Instead it's a Power Pop exercise on which Cher gets to rock out some. It's not bad, just not terribly good either. I prefer the soulful sounds of her album with Gregg anytime. But since I'm a sucker for Les Dudek, I just had to complete my collection. So, are there any good Les Dudek songs on here? Hmm, sort of. Actually, he only gets to sing lead vocals on one track, a duet called "You Know It". I like that song, and it would fit nicely as a bonus track on his "Gypsy Ride" album. So, for that you should get this. Tricky move to start an album with a song entitled "Never Should've Started". For completists only..

Allman And Woman - Two The Hard Way (1977)

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Gregg Allman married Cher and obviously had to make an album with his new wife. It was something else... Mocked and ridiculed by the press at that time, but how do we feel about it now?
I've always liked this album. Sure it's slick, it's sugary sweet and has nothing to do whatsoever with The Allman Brothers Band. It's soul with a bit of rock, some funk and really nice vocals. Look, I'm no Cher fan, but she pulls this off quite nicely. And I even enjoy their vocals together. They match to my ears. These are the kind of songs I would want to sing with my wife!
This is the 128 kbps version. I also had the 320 kbps version (that's circulating in a Gregg Allman discography torrent), but this one definitely sounds far better. It's only love...