"There's No Easy Way" by James Ingram

Song#:  1854
Date:  04/07/1984
Debut:  89
Peak:  58
Weeks:  10
Genre:  R&B, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  By the time Ingram's debut solo album It's Your Night arrived, he had already been on the Pop chart collaborating with stars like Quincy Jones and Patti Austin. The time finally came for him to issue his first true solo single. "Party Animal" was the album's second single, yet it failed to make the Pop chart. The LP's next single would get him back on the Pop chart, but once again it was in duet fashion - the #19 "Yah Mo B There" with Michael McDonald. It left Ingram still looking for a solo effort to make the Pop chart. He finally got one with this song. Although it would peak in the lower half of the chart, it would be the first one to be credited solely to him. The song would have better luck at AC (#7) and R&B (#14).

ReduxReview:  The upbeat "Party Animal" couldn't score, so why not go back to ballad mode? This Barry Mann composed tune seemed to connect at AC and R&B, yet I think it was just a bit too adult and sentimental for Pop radio. Although it's a pretty tune, frankly I can't distinguish it from any other mediocre 80s AC/Pop ballad of the day. Ingram is a fantastic singer and he makes the best of fairly pedestrian material. Ingram should have been a much bigger star, but I think he was held back by a lot of sub-par material. When he is matched with something great like "Just Once," it can be brilliant. With songs like this, he blends in with the pack and becomes forgettable.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Another solo single from the album, "She Loves Me (The Best That I Can)," was released. Once again, R&B (#59) and AC (#19) gave it some attention, but it failed to reach the Pop chart. Ingram would actually have to wait until the new decade to finally score his second solo Pop chart hit - and it would be a big one. In 1990, Ingram released the big ballad "I Don't Have the Heart." It was the fourth single from his album It's Real and it would end up topping the Pop chart while hitting #2 at AC and #53 R&B. It would be his biggest Pop hit and only solo #1 on any chart. Alas, it would also be his final solo entry on the Pop chart.

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