Teddy Pendergrass: Teddy (Philadelphia International)

TEDDY PENDERGRASS transcends the Philadelphia pop-soul confections of his production-machine material so effortlessly that it's a little frightening. He makes lightweight erotic sermonettes like 'Life Is a Circle' compelling, transforms every note of 'Turn Off the Lights' into a seduction, and even manages to ride the bombastic orchestration of 'Set Me Free' as a vehicle for intense personal involvement. There's almost nothing Pendergrass can't do with modern black love songs, and if there's a flaw in what he offers us, it's just that this solo record, like his other two, demands so little of him.