“Love Has A Mind Of Its Own”

“Love Has A Mind Of Its Own” is a beautifully mixed, modern-sounding song from Ray’s 1993 album My World, which was released on vinyl in Germany but is most readily found on CD.

The song has an insistent beat, and a gorgeous, crisp mix of instruments. The overall feel is that of cheerful early 1990s R&B. The instrumental star of “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own” may be the thin, unprocessed guitar playing mostly single notes that keeps itself busy but unobtrusive in the right speaker. Background singers come and go, but Ray and his deft voice usually remain the center focus; he adds a nice 1960s-style organ solo too.

It is perhaps the percussion that really defines “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own”, edging Ray almost into hip-hop territory (but not quite). The structure of the song is simple, and so (as he often did) Ray takes the opportunity to relax and just enjoy his singing, which here is dynamic. The many background vocalists, who at times bury Ray in their excitement, aren’t as compelling as Ray’s great voice but do give “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own” a lot of its atmosphere.

Lyrically, “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own” is unremarkable, never venturing much beyond the mundanity of its title. Love, avers the song, is the greatest thing in the world and can take you to heaven or make you fall on your knees. Sure.

“Love Has A Mind Of Its Own”‘s wonderful balance of instruments represents the sound that Ray had at this point: it’s between his conventional, live-band recordings and his experimental, synth-driven 1990 album Would You Believe? The precision of the mix make it classic Ray; the part at the end where the music drops out, leaving just the percussion and voices, plus the fade-out, give it some modern aspects, for better or worse.

Listen to “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own”

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