DeBarge’s 1983 album In a Special Way might be one of those great albums that tend to be overlooked by listeners who equate commercialism with selling out. In a Special Way is a record I came to late, though I’d heard “Time Will Reveal” and “Love Me in a Special Way” on the radio in 1983 and 1984. Those songs were the album’s big hits, but it was the spare, weird funk — part Prince-style rhythms and part Steely Dan chord changes — of tracks like “Need Somebody” and “Be My Lady” that wormed their way into my brain. Singer, songwriter and funk-pop auteur El DeBarge appeared on In a Special Way with five of his siblings, and his solo work might also be somewhat neglected. His lucent, high tenor helped propel DeBarge’s music into the stratosphere, and you can hear him in great form on 1994’s Heart, Mind and Soul — gorgeous pop that’s more idiosyncratic than you might expect. In the album’s “Can’t Get Enough,” El DeBarge sings, “I can’t believe the freaky things you did with me,” and the album is a classic. The great R&B singer makes a two-night stand at City Winery.
Dec. 21-22 at City Winery
609 Lafayette St.
