This like most of them is connected to my past in as much as this artist Chaka Khan as part of the soundtrack of my life as I grew up (don't laugh!) with her sounds being on the radio as well as the emergent MuchMusic and MTV television networks.
Born Yvette Marie Stevens in Chicago, Ill. in the late 60's she took the name Chaka from the Yoruba word for 'fire' and following the break up of her marriage to an Indian bass player kept the Khan surname as part of her stage name.
Unlike most of her generation, her singing career didn't start via Gospel singing in the Church but more from her listening to Jazz and in 1972 she joined what became Rufus, a R&B band (when R&B had rhythm and blues) who signed to ABC Records recording seven albums as their lead singer.
By 1978 however the lead wanted to a solo career and so signed to Warner Bros working with producer and arranger Arif Mardin creating five albums together.
That is where she entered my life though the radio play given to her '45 "I'm Every Woman" where that voice and Arif's arrangements hooked me although the 1981 album with "I Know You I Live You" passed the casual R&B fan.
By 1984 she was back getting column inches with the funk and electro influenced "I Feel For You" complete with turntable scratching helped by popularity of the previous years "Ain't Nobody" a product of the last contractual release with Rufus followed by the "This Is My Night" and "Eye To Eye" in 1985 which remain favourites of mine from that era.
What makes this pack of five original albums attractive is it offers the first five albums taking in soul, disco, funk, electro and guest MC'ing so you see beyond the the hits and can explore her more deeper cuts.
Front and rear cover are is reproduced with the discs in slim box.
The sound quality is very good on these discs and being inexpensive makes for a good introduction to her catalogue.
No comments:
Post a Comment