Open Invitation was Manhattans lead singer Gerald Alston's Top 14 R&B follow-up to his self-titled solo debut. The opener, "Slow Motion," produced by Stan Sheppard and Jimmy Varner of By All Means fame, was a number three R&B hit in the fall of 1990. The second single, "Getting Back Into Love," went Top Six R&B. Not surprisingly, with Alston having sung on such classic slow jams as the platinum-selling "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and the gold smash "Shining Star," the album best succeeds when it's in ballad mode. "Don't You Know" has a nice doo wop-ish sway in its groove. The same could be said of sweet, romantic "Crazy," which is helmed by Commodores producer James Anthony Carmichael. "We're Still in Love" conveys a kind of charming "ol' skool" romantic vibe in both lyric and feel. Alston does a smooth, snappy remake of the Chuck Jackson hit "Any Day Now," produced by Levi Seacer Jr.
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