One World

One World isn't the first album Billy Ocean has cut since his 1980s peak -- he continued to record, albeit sporadically, in the '90s and beyond -- but this 2020 LP does mark the first time he and producer Barry Eastman have collaborated on new material since their salad days of "Caribbean Queen." Wisely, the pair don't attempt to re-create the splashy, snazzy snap of Ocean's '80s hits. Instead, they settle into an impeccably smooth and mellow groove on One World, sometimes ratcheting up the tempo enough so the proceedings can be called breezy (in the case of "Mystery," it's busy enough to qualify as a club chill-out cut) but usually opting for relaxation instead of celebration. The title nods at the album's unifying theme: Ocean spends much of the album's 12 songs celebrating love and shared bonds. It has a sweet, positive spirit that dovetails nicely with the slick, melodic tunes on One World, music that has just enough of an R&B undercurrent so it could be called soulful but it's otherwise mature pop -- cheerful, good-natured music that's settled, not stuffy.