“On The Way To Love”是Patti Austin 2001年最新专辑，客串的歌手中包括老友James Ingram和Siedah Garrett（曾与麦可．杰克森合唱 I Just Can't Stop Loving You）。专辑10首歌曲从 Girlfriend、What Can I Say ? 开始明显又回到浓郁的节奏蓝调/流行的风格，简言之就是雅痞们的最爱--“都会音乐”。标题曲 On The Way To Love 与 Love's Been Kind To Me Lately则是慢板灵魂曲的代表。作曲家兼歌手的Patti Austin认为每段生活的体验都是能入歌的题材，所以歌者演唱自己的创作当然最能表达出自己的情感，Patti Austin新专辑“On The Way To Love”中的歌曲都是感情的舒怀，当然这样的内容是最令乐迷们于心有戚戚焉。 After affiliations with CTI (1976-80), Qwest (1981-88), and GRP (1990-1994), Patti Austin, as she passed the age of 50, seemed to have moved permanently from the soul jazz divisions of major labels to independents like Concord Jazz (for whom she made In and Out of Love in 1998) and even more modest recording affiliations (her last album, Street of Dreams, was handled by Platinum Entertainment). It is therefore something of a surprise that she has landed back at Quincy Jones' Warner Bros.-distributed Qwest label for her 15th album, On the Way to Love. It's also good news, since a singer of Austin's talent (and there aren't many of those) deserves the exposure possible through major-label distribution. The question, of course, is what sort of commercial compromises it entails. The answer is that Qwest's vision for Austin, one she seems to endorse enthusiastically, is to take her right back to the kind of quiet storm/adult contemporary/smooth jazz approach that characterized most of her earlier Qwest releases in the 1980s. Paul Brown, Boney James' producer, has been brought in, and, not surprisingly, the saxophonist turns up on "If You Really Need Me Now," a track that also features Austin's old duet partner (and Qwest labelmate) James Ingram. Siedah Garrett, another Qwest stalwart, co-wrote the title song, and Austin herself contributed to the writing of three songs, among them "Love's Been Kind to Me Lately," an attractive pop song that, like many here, may be more welcome on contemporary jazz stations than anywhere else. The songs indulge in street argot here and there, but this is an upscale effort for the most part, music for middle-aged Terry McMillan fans who aren't Waiting to Exhale anymore, but still don't want to work up a sweat. It's not bad, but Austin can do much better.