written by Donna Summer, David Foster & Rod Temperton

“Love Is Just A Breath Away” is a pop/r/b song recorded by the late Donna Summer for her 1982, self titled album. The international music diva composed this track with two top songwriters, David Foster and former Heatwave member, Rod Temperton. That song and the whole “Donna Summer” album were masterfully produced by the legendary Quincy Jones who was about to enter the studio to work on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

“Love Is Just A Breath Away” presents a wonderful vocal performance by the late superstar who especially shines on the song’s up-tempo refrain. The tune was arranged by Foster with David Paich of Toto and the two talented music makers gave the instrumental track a tad of a Eurodisco/Giorgio Moroder flavour playing a multitude of synthesizers and programmed drums with some rhythm guitar courtesy of Steve Lukather. “Love Is Just A Breath Away” was also the b-side of Summer’s “State Of Indipendence” single and it was covered, in 1985, by r&b singer Carol Lynn Townes on her debut album, “Satisfaction Guaranteed.”

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Love_Is_Just_A_Breath_Away.mp3|titles=Love Is Just A Breath Away|artists=Donna Summer]

Lead Vocals: Donna Summer
Synthesizers: David Foster, David Paich
Sunthesizer Programming: Steve Porcaro
Guitar: Steve Lukather

Arranged by David Foster & David Paich
Produced by Quincy Jones

Lyrics

Deep in the night, when you’re
Away from me
I’m reachin’ out just to touch you
In my dreams
Countin’ the hours ’till you’ll be
Here again
So hard to wait, got to have you
Close to me
’cause baby

You, turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a
Breath away

Somethin’ inside has taken
Over me
So baby, can’t you see you
Captured my heart
I can’t disguise the things you
Make me feel
I should have known this was
Magic right from the start

‘Cause baby, you turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a breath away
We, we don’t have a word to say
Our hearts can speak a thousand ways
When love is just a breath away

Take me, take me into paradise
Show me
All the love that’s in your eyes
Light up my life

You, you turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a breath away
We, we don’t have a word to say
Our heart can speak a thousand ways
When love is just a breath away
You, you turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a breath away

The Keane Brothers started in the seventies as children prodigies, releasing albums and appearing on famous TV shows. Their first record was one of David Foster’s first productions and it showcases the precocious talent of Tom and John Keane who were just 12 and 10 respectively when it was released in 1976. Amazingly enough Tom Keane basically wrote all the material on it and sang it with John. They also had a good hit single from that record with “Sherry” written by Dwayne Ford.
Two years later they released their second work, “Takin’ Off” which was produced by Lamont Dozier with two tracks produced by Foster with David Paich. The Dozier produced tunes are more in a soul/Philadelphia sound vein while Foster and Paich bring the Keanes to their fine pop territory.

“One Thing On My Mind” is a very good uptempo song with Tom Keane’s aggressive vocal performance surrounded by keyboards and strings played and arranged by the two Davids.

After this record the two brothers formed another band, “Keane”, in the early eighties and recorded two good pop/rock albums that earned them the title of “Little Toto”, take a listen and you’ll understand the reason why.

Through the years Tom Keane has also written famous hit songs with Foster like “Through The Fire” and “Will You Still Love Me” and has produced people like Celine Dion and Taylor Dayne. He is a world class talent still writing and producing to these days, you have also to check out his last cd entitled “Smoove And Juicy Covers” where he sings and plays some of the best hits of his songwriting career.

John Keane today is writing music for famous TV shows like “C.S.I. (Crime Investigation Scene)” and has been playing drums for many big names including Chicago, Michael Bolton and Richard Marx. He has also released, in 1999, an interesting solo entitled “Straight Away”.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/one_thing_on_my_mind.mp3|titles=one thing on my mind|artists=Keane]

Lead Vocal: Tom Keane
Keyboards: David Foster & David Paich
Electric Guitars: David T. Washington
Drums: James Gadson & Rick Calhoun
Backing Vocals: Tom and John Keane
Produced & Arranged by David Foster & David Paich

Lyrics

NO LYRICS

Most of the times while working on a record there are songs that don’t make the final cut. It could be for many different reasons, but especially when the producer or the band don’t think the tune is good enough. Sure this isn’t the reason why “Miss Sun” was skipped from The Average White Band’s 1980 album “Shine” but, more probably, as the liner notes imply, it was for copyright problems. It is an outstanding number, that was a hit for Boz Scaggs, always in 1980, just a few months after AWB and Foster cut their version of this classy, up-tempo tune. Written by David Paich, of Toto fame, it is a very good showcase of the vocal talents of singers Alan Gorrie and Hamish Stuart who trade lead vocals on the song supported by the tight musicianship of the band (check out the sax licks courtesy of Roger Ball) plus the typical keyboards of David Foster, who probably arranged the tune too.

This version is a bit slower compared to Scaggs’ one but very effective nonetheless, we can’t help but think it could have been a hit for them if released before the other one.

Toto also recorded their own take of the tune in 1978 which was eventually released on the collection entitled “Toto XX” in 1997 and David Paich, its writer, sang his own song which is almost identical to Scaggs’ hit cover.

Every time we have the chance to listen to the Average White Band it is a pleasure, their talent was/is immense and they are still releasing new music, check out their official website to order their new cd, entitled “Living In Colour”, another good showcase of their musical artistry.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/miss_sun.mp3|titles=MISS SUN|artists=AWB]

Lead Vocals: Hamish Stuart & Alan Gorrie
Keyboards: David Foster
Drums: Steve Ferrone
Bass: Alan Gorrie
Guitars: Hamish Stuart & Onnie McIntyre
Saxes: Roger Ball & Molly Duncan
Background Vocals: Alan Gorrie & Hamish Stuart
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Been thinking ’bout you all night
Guess you got me in a spell
But I think that I’ll be all right
Even if I don’t get well

Chorus:
Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won’t be long before the morning has you back in my arms

I can still remember
What you told me with your eyes
One kiss, now it’s down to this
Guess it’s time you realized

Chorus:
Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won’t be long before the morning has you back in my arms

Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won’t be long before the morning has you back in my arms

Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won’t be long before the morning has you back in my arms

Written by David Foster, David Paich and Cheryl Lynn

In our first review we mentioned the R&B overtones present in some of Foster’s finest works, well in this case we’re talking about one of the best R&B tunes ever recorded.

This song is so groovin’ and funky it is hard to believe it was written by two twenty something white guys. David Foster and David Paich (of Toto fame) cowrote this anthem with the ultra talented singer Cheryl Lynn, this was the first single out of her debut album, released in 1978, and quite a hit single it was reaching #1 on the R&B chart and being a top 20 Billboard pop hit. Even to this day, the song is a huge crowd pleaser in clubs all over the world and rapper Father M.C. has had a big hit in 1991 with “I’ll do 4 u” that used this tune as its backing track.

David Paich produced and arranged the tune with his father Marty (one of Sinatra’s favorite arrangers), Cheryl Lynn’s vocals are fantastic and listening to this song it’s simply impossible not to get up and dance.

Listen

Lead Vocals: Cheryl Lynn
Arrangement: David Paich & Marty Paich
Keyboards: David Paich
Bass: David Shields
Drums: James Gadson
Guitars: Ray Parker
Produced by David & Marty Paich

strong>Lyrics

What you find, ah
What you feel now
What you know-a
To be real

What you find, ah
(I think I love you baby)
What you feel now
(I feel I need you baby)
What you know-a
To be real

Ooh your love’s for real now
You know that your love is my love
My love is your love
Our love is here to stay

Repeat