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Month: April 2016

HEARTSTRINGS

From THE BEST OF ME

Written by David Foster & Burt Bacharach

David Foster’s unique body of work as a songwriter shows obvious melodic influences by pop music giants like The Beatles, but it echoes the fine work of previous pop artisans including the legendary Burt Bacharach. Bacharach has been instrumental in pushing the harmonic and melodic limits in popular (aka pop) music. His compositions are full of unique time changes and rhythmic ideas flowing beautifully while sounding very natural to the listener. Foster applied the same formula to many of his hit songs and the result is as pleasant and catchy as Bacharach’s finest works.

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MEAN MACHINE

From MIRACLES

Written by Pete Moore, Billy Griffin & Donald Griffin

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This week, the focus is on a goodie from another smart reissue by the UK label, Cherry Red Records. For the first time ever on compact disc, this enterprising independent record label re-released the rare, self-titled album by soul/R&B legends, The Miracles. Originally cut on Columbia Records in 1978, the October 2012 cd, The Miracles, became a sought-after item by fans and soul music lovers alike for its very limited availability generated by a dispute between the group and Columbia Records’ executives. Consequently, The Miracles was released only in The Netherlands with a few import copies making their way to the US where the album never officially saw the light of day.

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DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

From RAY KENNEDY (bonus track)

Written by Ray Kennedy & Jack Conrad

December 2014 saw the cd rerelease of the late Ray Kennedy’s (November 26, 1946 – February 16, 2014) 1980 self-titled album on the worthy US independent label, Real Gone Music. Produced by David Foster, Ray Kennedy already appeared on cd in Japan around 2002, but what makes the Real Gone Music edition worth having is the inclusion of precious bonus material. There are alternate versions of two songs recorded prior to Foster’s involvement, the rocking “It Never Crossed My Mind” and the gorgeous ballad “Just For The Moment.”

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WHY CAN’T WE FALL IN LOVE

From I DON’T WANT YOU ANYMORE (single)

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager & Deniece Williams

In 1980, renown soul/R&B act, the Tavares, released an album titled Supercharged. The five brothers (Ralph Edward Vierra Tavares, Pooch – Arthur Paul Tavares, Chubby – Antone Lee Tavares, Butch – Feliciano Vierra Tavares, Jr. and Tiny – Perry Lee Tavares) from Providence , Rhode Island were responsible for previous hits including “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” and “It Only Takes A Minute.” Tavares worked on Supercharged with David Foster who produced a couple of tracks. The emergent Canadian music-maker reworked a pair of songs with Tavares, “We Both Tried” and “I Don’t Want You Anymore.”

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