Producers include: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow.
Clive Davis, the then- head honcho of Arista Records, organized Dionne Warwick's commercial comeback after her fallow post-Bacharach/David period. Slickly produced and unerringly tasteful, the 10 tracks on FRIENDS are less exciting than Warwick's 1960s work, but due largely to the strength of Warwick's magnificent voice, they're a lot better than most of Davis' career-rehabilitation projects.
The album's hit was "That's What Friends Are For," a Carole Bayer Sager ballad which, bizarrely enough, had previously been sung by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack of the Ron Howard comedy NIGHT SHIFT. Here, it's a superstar extravaganza featuring Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight in what became the first high-profile AIDS benefit in pop music.
