I remember at the height of “Human”‘s success, someone (I’m fairly sure it was Donnie Simpson on BET’s “Video Soul”, but I’m not 100% positive) remarking that it was the “hardest” sounding slow jam that he’d ever heard. That’s the truth. Slow jams were…well, soft. “Human” was sensitive, but the beat kicked. Producers Jimmy Jam… Read More “Human” by The Human League (1986)
I’m sure I’ve mentioned in one of these posts that my grandmother was fairly partial to New York City’s local “Lite-FM” adult contemporary radio station (WLTW/105.1). During my high school years, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get home and hear Michael Bolton or The Carpenters blasting from her stereo. I became familiar with Ace’s… Read More “How Long” by Ace (1975)
“Holding Back The Years” introduced Simply Red to American audiences in early 1986, zooming to the top of the pop charts while also placing respectably on the adult contemporary and R&B listings. Mick Hucknall (who, for all intents and purposes, is Simply Red) wrote the song about his childhood, focusing on the strained relationships he… Read More “Holding Back The Years” by Simply Red (1985)
The members of Toto were studio rats who quickly gained a reputation for sounding sterile and corporate. While that is true to an extent, the Toto folks also had an ear for funk. Granted, it was a meticulous form of funk, but there’s no doubt that they cooked up some tasty grooves; as evidenced by… Read More “Georgy Porgy” by Toto (1979)
I initially knew Robert Palmer as the nattily dressed heartthrob behind The Power Station and the “Addicted To Love” and “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On” videos. So what a surprise to me when I grew up, further explored his work, and discovered that he was one of the most adventurous blue eyed soul… Read More “Every Kinda People” by Robert Palmer (1978)
Boy George is, was and always will be a soul singer (direct precedent: Smokey), so partnering him with Teddy Riley for a couple songs on 1989’s High Hat was a masterstroke on behalf of George’s American record company (although they had no motive in mind other than making a hit, which is kinda what record… Read More “Don’t Take My Mind On A Trip” by Boy George (1989)
Alison Moyet’s voice is a force of nature. Those lungs are so powerful, I often imagine her singing the chorus to “Don’t Go” to an actual human being and blowing them away like the guy in the Memorex commercial back in the day. I am sure Adele has a Moyet or Yaz album somewhere in… Read More “Don’t Go” by Yaz (1982)
Before she became a pop-rock powerhouse who performs aerial stunts on televised awards shows, P!nk was an R&B singer. Like a one-woman Destiny’s Child, she rocketed to the top on the charts on two gimmicks-the white R&B thing (which was much less prevalent pre-Timberlake) and the pink hair thing, which is thankfully now in the… Read More “Catch Me While I’m Sleeping” by P!nk (2003)
Let’s learn some French! And let’s also all celebrate the shitty things in life that we can’t do a damn thing about. Robbie Nevil (who is definitely not one of the Neville Brothers) comes from the same “holy shit, he’s White?” thought process that shocked me after finding out the racial identities of Rick Astley,… Read More “C’est La Vie” by Robbie Nevil (1986)
It’s really easy to think of any blue-eyed soul song from the ‘70s and ‘80s as a Hall & Oates rip. They were the standard-bearers for that sound, after all. I don’t know if that’s fair to all of the other songs and artists in that subgenre that I’m gonna end up discussing, though. Billy… Read More “Baby Come Back” by Player (1978)
Five Star Jamz 