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Month: November 2014

IS IT YOU?

 from IS IT YOU? (single)

written by Lee Ritenour, Eric Tagg & Bill Champlin

In 1981, the legendary jazz/fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour released “Rit,” a collection that saw him resolutely pushing towards radio friendly, pop/r&b material. The result was an artistic and commercial success thanks to Ritenour’s superior artistry and his knack to pick the right partners in crime for his adventure. He enlisted his old session mates David Foster and Harvey Mason to support him in the producer’s seat and brought into the spotlight the fresh, new talent of Eric Tagg. Tagg would play a key role on “Rit” with his co-writing and singing talent displayed on the bulk of the album. Bill Champlin provided killer vocal harmonies while the LA session scene cream of the crop crafted the instrumental parts.

TOUCH ME AGAIN

 from WHEN LOVE COMES CALLING

written by Deniece Williams & Tennyson Stevens

June Deniece Chandler, aka Deniece Williams, was one of the most important and gifted American R&B singers of her generation. A multiple Grammy winner, Ms. Williams is well-known for trademark hits including “Free,” “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” as a duet with Johnny Mathis, “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” and “It’s Gonna Take A Miracle.” All of these hits showcased her fantastic four-octave vocal range and portrayed the unique warmth of her soprano voice.

WITHOUT YOU

 from ONE LOVE

written by David Foster, Richard Marx & Samantha Cole

Kimberley Locke is an American singer/model who became pretty well-known after her participation in the second edition of the extremely popular 2003 TV show American Idol. Locke gained a tremendously satisfying third place behind the two heavyweights of the competition – Ruben Studdard who won and Clay Aiken who came in a close second. Soon after the finale, Ms. Locke signed a recording contract with Curb Records and went on to released her first cd, “One Love,” in May 2004.

LOVE WON’T GET IN THE WAY

 from ALL THE PIECES

written by Alan Gorrie, Hamish Stuart & Gavin Christopher

Today, let’s go back to the late ’70s and the fantastic funk/soul sounds of the Average White Band. In our opinion, there are three main reasons to again showcase the magic of these legendary Scottish funksters. First and foremost, AWB had strong songwriting skills and tight musicianship to support the stellar voices of Alan Gorrie and Hamish Stuart. They, along with their gifted bandmates, made Average White Band one of the top R&B weapons of the era. Secondly, the most important parts of the AWB catalogue were handled by iconic producers like the late Arif Mardin and the young and ridiculously talented David Foster. And third, the recent release of a spectacular box-set entitled “All The Pieces: The Complete Studio Recordings 1971-2003.”

SOMETHING

 from FAMILY DINNER VOL. 1

written by David Foster & Brenda Russell

“It’s Something,” aka “Something,” was a tasteful pop ditty that was co-written in the early eighties by David Foster and singer/songwriter Brenda Russell for Russell’s 1983 album “Two Eyes.” Through the years, this breezy, mid-tempo gem has been covered by an assortment of singers including Leslie Smith, Donna Washington and the exceptionally gifted Lalah Hathaway on Hathaway’s 1990 debut cd. “Something” was the last single released from Hathaway’s cd and it made it to #21 on the R&B chart.