AMG Review of In the Night

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

Cheryl Lynn's third Columbia LP pairs the singer with producer Ray Parker, Jr., who strips away the remaining vestiges of disco-era sensibilities to focus on appealingly heartfelt R&B that radiates with warmth. While In the Night boasts its fair share of dancefloor-ready material -- the opening "Shake It Up Tonight" even cracked the ~Billboard R&B Top Ten -- it's the more mellow and romantic songs that command attention, and for all of its considerable sass, Lynn's voice also boasts a vulnerability that's truly affecting. [In the Night was reissued a quarter century later in tandem with its follow-up, 1982's Instant Love, as part of a Collectables two-fer.]