The high-flying confidence of
Rise and the experimental bent of
Beyond began to wear off by 1981, giving way to the more relaxed but musically weaker ministrations of
Magic Man. With
Michael Stokes, then A&M's director of Black Product/A&R, co-producing,
Alpert came up with a pleasant collection of mostly forgettable, mild-mannered R&B/pop-slanted tunes, plus a fairly uneventful rendition-at-length of "Besame Mucho" and a redundant cha-cha/disco remake of his own "You Smile, The Song Begins."
Alpert's haunting trumpet still reflects his post-"Rise" sense of command, but he doesn't have much to say this time; the material holds him back.