from DON’T STOP!
written by David Foster, Jay Graydon & Harry Garfield
Bloodstone was an American soul/r&b vocal group that had a relevant chart run in the seventies to the early eighties. Thirteen song were brought by Bloodstone to the R&B chart. Their most-loved songs were “Natural High,” #4 on the R&B chart and a Top Ten pop hit in 1973, “Outside Woman” that reached #2 on the R&B chart in 1974 and “We Go A Long Way Back,” a Top 5 hit in 1982.
from FRENCH TOUCH
written by Willie Nelson
“Crazy” is an evergreen that belongs in the songbook of country legend Willie Nelson. Nelson wrote “Crazy” in early ’61 when the future superstar was just a 28 year old songwriter based in Nashville .
That same year, another country superstar, the late Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 to March 5, 1963), recorded “Crazy” and scored a big hit with that beautiful ballad which attracted both pop and country lovers. Ms. Cline’s definitive rendition of the song reached #2 on the Country chart, #2 on the Easy Listening chart and #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100. With an unique blend of jazz, country and pop plus the power of its gorgeous and complex melody, “Crazy” quickly became a standard covered by dozens of stars including Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Julio Iglesias, LeeAnn Rimes and Diana Krall.
from HEAT
written by Tom Saviano
Tom Saviano is a veteran sax player and all-around music-maker (composer, conductor, orchestrator, arranger, music producer, etc.).
Saviano started his career in LA around the mid-seventies. He gained his first accolades as an in-demand session player. He became an arranger and performer with Melissa Manchester on three of her hit albums; Help Is On The Way, Singin and Don’t Cry Outloud.
from DAVID FOSTER
written by David Foster & Michael Landau
David Foster’s 1985 instrumental hit, “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire,” gave the Canadian super-producer the chance to record a whole album of evocative instrumental themes for Atlantic Records. Aptly titled David Foster, it was the introduction of Foster’s multiple talents to mainstream audiences after more than a decade of hard work in the studio as session player, writer, producer and arranger. David Foster featured Foster’s keyboard wizardry using all the advanced technology of those days including synths and sequencers such as the Fairlight CMI, Linn drum machine, Kurzweil, Roland Jupiter-8, Wendell Junior, Emulator 3, as well as many others. Although the sound result may be a tad cold for today’s ears, it was a standard of excellence back in the day. Foster’s superior art of composing and arranging came through beautifully. The rock/fusion landscapes of “Playing With Fire” from David Foster is the pick for this week’s review.
from HITMAN: DAVID FOSTER & FRIENDS
written by Dave Richardson & Doug Edwards
Blake Shelton is a country music superstar as well as an actor and TV personality who can currently be seen on The Voice. Starting in 2001, the Ada, Oklahoma-born singer/songwriter released a string of chart topping albums and singles. Among his most loved songs were “Austin,” “The Baby,” “Sure Be Cool If You Did,” “Some Beach,” “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” and “Honey Bee” that all hit #1 on the US Country Singles’ chart.
