Review
Lucky me! My mother was a huge fan of Donna McGhee back in the late 70′s, so this album was passed down to me from her. I didn’t have to pay, search or trade for this record. It’s an amazing disco record, produced and written by two of the best cats in the game (of disco music), Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael. Their string arrangements are super nice, as well as the keyboards. I have to jump out there and say…Barry White pulled heavy production influence from Patrick Adams (on the low though). Do your homework, make your own call on that one…

Donna does her thing here, setting the tone for a lot of other female vocalists that followed her era (in the disco realm). But in all honesty, the production is what sold me on this record. Pay close attention to the tension build ups, and the releases!

Check out the sound!

Make It Last Forever

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Mr.Blindman

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It Ain’t No Big Thing

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Design
Not particularly a cool album cover. Looks pretty low-budget and last minute. Donna’s pretty face saves the day here!

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Additional info on Donna McGhee

Review
This has to be one of the best 80′s LP’s. Bernard Wright was only 16 years old when he released NARD’, but with the support and collaboration with legends like Weldon Irvine, Don Blackman, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller (the list goes on), he was able to create a masterpiece that not even Wright himself could creatively or musically surpass ever again in his career (as far as his later releases are concerned).

Here, he spreads out the sound. Jazz, Boogie, Funk…some of it could even begin to fit into that Cosmic Funk sub-genre. These arrangements are amazing, the journey through this record is quite clear, the build-up definitely reaches a satisfiable zenith.

As far as talent, Bernard was waaaaay ahead of his time! Waaaaaay ahead. He had a lot of support, no doubt about it, but he definitely owned this sound, earned his stripes, set his mark, and his presence was still felt as THE (with conviction! lol!) artist of this LP. Bottom line.

Enough of my verbal drum-rolling…listen for yourselves…

Check out the sound!

Master Rocker

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Just Chillin’ Out

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Haboglabotribin’

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Bread Sandwiches

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Design
A simple album cover, but a dope album cover. Peep the coordination of the jacket with the type at the top right. That font is quite nice as well, although I’m not totally sure what is off-hand, can’t eyeball this one. The use of that hot magenta calls much attention to the title of the album, small detail, but detail. Another nice thing is the tension created between Nard’s fro and the placement of the typography…especially with his head tilted slightly to the left. Again, just a nice, un-forced design.

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Additional info on Bernard Wright

Review
A different sound from Lonnie Smith, I must say. I call it Faziscoul (Funk Jazz Disco Soul), a sound that I like though. This LP kind of puts the mind at ease, it’s a very relaxing sound but with some pretty unexpected vocals laced throughout. Smith tracks generally don’t incorporate vocalists, but with Gotcha’, he took it there. The featured singer sounds very similar to a Donny Hathaway or a Stevie Wonder, but with a slight weeping tone. It took me a while, but I eventually got into it (the singing). The album as a whole is solid, and I’m always a strong supporter of musicians who step outside of their comfort zone and still produce an amazing piece of work.

Check out the sound!

What’s Done Is Done

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I Need Your Love

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Journey To Within

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Sweet Honey Wine

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Design
There’s something very interesting about this image, because it doesn’t support the title of the LP in any way. However, I am intrigued by it. If you notice, the sky looks like water, a painting of water almost. The font is reminiscent of pacman (peep the G and the C in “Gotcha’”). Overall it’s a pretty powerful cover with a mysterious meaning. I’m digging it.

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Additional info on Lonnie Smith

Review
A genius…the man behind the scenes! Don Blackman! This LP is both his first and last solo album, ie…his ONLY album. He showed all of his talents here, from the writing, to the singing, to the keys, to the arrangements. I’m still not sure why Don Blackman isn’t a household name, his music is something that everyone should make themselves familiar with.

Don played a major part behind the success of many legends, such as Weldon Irvine and Bernard Wright. Writing and producing for many others as well. He also helped define that Jazz, Spacey Funk Boogie of the early eighties amongst some musicians, looking to explore new sounds. A lot of people don’t give Don his respect, but it’s definitely past due.

Check out the sound!

Heart’s Desire

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Loving You, Holding You

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Design
The cover is extra plain…but he gets BIG respect for pulling off the Rick James look, with those beads and braids with the funky mustache! That’s sooooooooooooooo 80′s! Also be sure to check out that taco meat on his chest…peace!

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Additional info on Don Blackman

Review
In an attempt to bring the energy into your Friday, I decided to review and share another classic underground boogie record, produced by the great Patrick Adams. This time he uses the alias, SINE. Anybody who knows anything about Adams, knows that he brings the energy, the tracks that make you dance, and those signature synthesized weeeeeet-weeeeeeetz throughout his tracks. This album reminds me a lot of the Atmosphere Strut LP, but this LP tends to be a little more party oriented.

One of the things that draws me to Adams-produced records is his ability to create and release tension on the track. Just when you’re itching for a change-up, or for the chords to let you fly free…BOOM!…it happens, and your soul is at ease. It’s truly “feel-good” music. The track that I have selected to post for your listening pleasure is called “Mosquito Walk”, it definitely gives an example of his (Adams) versatility.

Check out the sound!

Mosquito Walk

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Design
I love the font that’s used for “SINE”. However, the lockup of the name with the title is a bit weak and could be much stronger. Again, the subject chosen is a young black woman, who looks like she wants … (whoever is looking at the cover)! I think she knows what she wants, LOL. It’s a pretty soft-core shot, but pretty intense…something sexy about it though. I tell you what, these cover concepts were definitely created to sell more records, sex sells. Period.

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Additional info on SINE

Review
This is the 80′s at its best, a definite classic. Patrice Rushen delivers a VERY solid lp here, bringing tracks that make the listener feel good, feel bad, dance, sing, etc. She leads all vocals, and plays keyboards and synthesizers. Straight From The Hrart, it’s truly an experience.

Check out the sound!

Where There Is Love

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You Remind Me

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Forget Me Nots

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Design
The only thing I’m really feeling about this design is the grid on the back cover. What I do think is interesting, however, are the crazy beads in her hair, that musta took hours right? lol…

Additional info on Patrice Rushen

Review
Hmmm…I wonder where Andre Benjamin of Outkast came up with his alias, as Andre 3000? If I had to take a wild guess, I would say that he was influenced by the legendary Michael Andre Lewis, who went by the stage name of Mandre, and titled his last LP M3000 (which stood for Mandre3000). Get the connection?

This LP is actually not that good, and I hate to say that, for the simple fact that Mandre was such a great group early on, as Maxayn, and later with the first Mandre album. This was the groups final album, M3000. They did NOT go out with a bang. In fact, the only two tracks that are worth a listen, I have included in this post, and they SAVE this album for me. I expected so much more from a group with so much talent, it came to a point where they let the electronic equipment control them, and completely take over their signature musicianship.

Check out the sound!

M3000 (Opus VI)

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L’Oasis

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Design
I like the logo a lot, with the reflection…this cover is pretty bold overall. Not quite sure what the back cover represents, it’s a little out there, but it’s fitting for the sound of this record. But it’s definitely an eye-catching cover, I just wish the music was consistent.

Additional info on Mandre

Review
You have to be a fan of 80′s music to really appreciate this album, it really captures the essence of that 1986 sound…and captures it very well. I LOVE this record, bottom line. The Aleems are twin brothers (Taharqa & Tunde-Ra Aleem) who teamed up with a buddy, Leroy Burgess (the king of boogie and former Black Ivory lead singer), who just so happened to live in the same building as they did in Harlem growing up. Turns out that the album was completed by the twin brothers alone, but they did not like the way that their vocals sounded on the tracks, so they asked Burgess to join the group as lead singer, and to help write, produce and compose some of the tracks. That was the best move that they could have made, because this turned out to be a CLASSIC underground boogie and soul lp. The sound is really synthetic…REALLY synthetic, some of the tracks were produced using programs on the 1986 Apple IIc computer…that shows that they embraced the technology, as well as the switch to electronic instruments and synthetic sounds. I can dig that, because a lot of musicians who made the switch were heavily scrutinized by traditionalist elitists. The Aleems featuring Leroy Burgess actually made beautiful music, and the arrangements by the trio are fantaaaaaaaaaaaastic! They all play instruments, so they understand chords, and they had a formula for “feel good”…so the sounds were something of beauty, the electronic instrumentation was on point.

Herbie Hancock put it best…”the electronic equipment is like an axe, it can be used to chop wood to build a house, or it can be used as a weapon to slaughter your neighbor. With synthesizers, they can produce sounds that hurt the ears, or produce beautiful sounds that draw you in…”. So it’s really about WHO is using it and HOW, not WHAT you use.

Enjoy.

Check out the sound!

Think

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Stay

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Loves On Fire

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Design
The design is definitely cheesy. But you MUST give it to these grown men for going hard enough to rock out with white tuxedo jackets and dress shirts, with red bow-ties and cumberbun’s!!! LOL!!! They also have on some sort of weird Wrangler-looking denim with the snow white Reebok’s on…not to mention that these cats are captured in mid air (shaking my head in shame)…and Leroy Burgess has the nerve to sport a jerry-curl (he’s still the MAN though!). The photographer and stylist should have been fired immediately!!! LOL!!!

I will say, however, that although the props on the back cover (specifically the table and chairs) are lame, the composition and the idea…I like…which is that a tab was paid, and a couple split, to get home and reeeeeeeeeeeeally get the night started.

Additional info on Aleem featuring Leroy Burgess

Review
All I can say is…WOW! (Spelled backwards…WOW) This is another one of those records I saw in the record store, intrigued by the record label (because I’m used to only seeing disco 12′ releases from Vangaurd, not full LP’s), and gave it a listen. After hearing the first track…I knew that I was buying this lp…PERIOD. I love finding records like this, obscure, and that possess an amazing sound quality. This particular piece demonstrates two styles coming together, boogie, and mellowed-out soul grooves. I’d particularly like to point out “Moon In Pisces”, which is my favorite track on the record, (and not just because I am a Pisces), but this song has a really distinct sound that was ahead of its time in my opinion, similar to RAMP, it almost sets the listener up for what (neo soul/soul) music would become for this generation. Some of the other tracks that I’ve chosen to feature are high-energy, feel-good tracks that are deserving of something other than simply dancing, it’s LIFE music.

Check out the sound!

Moon In Pisces

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I Like It

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Hustlin’

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Design
Not really the greatest cover, but the model that they photographed is interesting. She becomes almost sculptural. There’s no concept, so there’s not much to say about this cover, I’m not exactly sure of what message they want to get across, if any. And I’m definitely not a fan of the font chosen. With a group named The Players Association, they are supposed to have a nice lockup…not this random Shakey’s Pizza looking logo.

Additional info on The Players Association

Review
Let me start by saying that this movie is an absolute CLASSIC…PERIOD! For those that don’t know, The WIZ is an African-American production of the Wizard of OZ. The film starred Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, and a young Michael Jackson, amongst others. One of the most amazing things about this movie is the score, the music itself…so naturally when I saw the soundtrack in the record store, I picked it up without hesitation. Not a rare record, not an expensive record, but this is definitely a record with many great tracks on it. Produced by none other than the great Quincy Jones, this album is a sleeper! But I’ll wake you all up (be sure to check out the sound clips below). For anybody that’s in the mood to hear some killer grooves, be sure to listen to the Emerald City sequence of Green, Red, and Gold…those three tracks are a MUST.

Check out the sound!

Green

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Red

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Gold

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Mean Ol’ Lion

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Poppy Girls

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Design
This is a dope painting, and the inside cover is amazing, a very dynamic piece that captures the feel of the film. Dark, but sort of electric in a sense. Not much of a concept cover, and rightfully so, it’s representing a movie, so it is what it is. The nice touch of sparkle on the hand-painted bold typography on the cover is a subtle detail that I rather enjoy.

Additional info on The WIZ