AMG Review of Icon

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

This volume in Universal’s Icon series summarizes three DeBarge albums (1982’s All This Love, 1983’s In a Special Way, 1985’s Rhythm of the Night) and El DeBarge's first two solo albums (1986’s El DeBarge and 1989’s Gemini). It’s not drastically dissimilar from the other DeBarge/El DeBarge anthologies that preceded it, though it’s not as deep with El’s solo material as Ultimate Collection (Hip-O, 2003), and it obviously doesn’t hit upon the solo hits of his siblings like The Definitive Collection (Motown, 2008). Every major ‘80s single featuring El’s distinctive voice is included here, from “I Like It” through “Real Love.”