“Eric, I remember him being an amazing singer! He had great taste in music. My favorite track that we did together was ‘Mr. Briefcase,’ a very tricky and complicated song.”

David Foster recently sent this message about Eric Tagg, a fabulous singer/songwriter from Texas. Tagg reached some level of success in the eighties through his work with guitar maestro, Lee Ritenour. Both Foster and Rit met Tagg when they played on his 1975 debut album, Smilin’ Memories. Eventually, Ritenour released his 1981 Rit album, co-produced by Foster and Harvey Mason, that showcased Tagg’s superior talent as a singer and a songwriter. Rit spawned the Top 15 hit, “Is It You?,” plus the aforementioned slick rocker, “Mr. Briefcase.” Both songs were written or co-written by Tagg who also handled the killer lead vocals. The mood of Rit was quality L.A. pop at its finest with touches of R&B and fusion. One year later, the same super-group of musicians crafted Dreamwalkin’, the singer’s third solo for the Japanese market and, musically speaking, Rit’s younger sibling. Just imagine a voice that had strong echoes of Stevie Wonder writing killer smooth pop/soul material with a back-up of the best musicians on the planet. Dreamwalkin’ remained a well-kept secret for many years, but eventually its impressive level of sophistication won the hearts of quality pop lovers all over the world.

You can read a review and listen to the song “No One There” in the archives plus see all of Tagg’s main collaborations with Ritenour. Another highlight on Dreamwalkin’ was “In The Way,” a breezy pop mid-tempo with some irresistible South American flavor and the current Song of the Week. “In The Way” showcases Tagg’s “smooth like butta” vocals with Bill Champlin’s gorgeous backing harmonies. Foster added color with his Fender Rhodes, Ritenour’s gorgeous guitar licks and Jerry Hey’s horn punctuation. The result defies the senses.

A rediscovery of Dreamwalkin’ should be in order. Also check out Tagg’s other solo records. They are chocked full of wonderful surprises for quality pop music lovers.

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Eric Tagg
• Keyboards: David Foster & Don Grusin
• Synthesizer: Ian Underwood
• Guitar: Lee Ritenour
• Drums: John Robinson
• Bass: Abraham Laboriel & Nathan East
• Percussion: Alex Acuna
• Horn Section: Jerry Hey, Gary Herbig & Chuck Findley
• Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin & Eric Tagg
• Produced by Lee Ritenour

Lyrics

Heart so tender
Heart so weak
Heart so broken by the words

Heart so stolen by… missing smile
Love can never be assure
See the way that we looks at you
And you don’t reallu seem to mind

Even thoe. try your best
I’m not stupid, I’m not blind

I’m only…

In the Way… I Feel like i’m done…
In the way… Guess you know i’d like…
To stay inside your hear

Tenders Company
Three’s a crowd
Too many cooks in for the soup
Heatsy wins your love
Tales i loose
Two’s a couple, three’s a group

In the Way… Feel like i’m done…
In the way… seems like i’m always…
In the Way… Watching for my self…
In the way… Guess you…

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.

This collection presented a mix of Toto-influenced rock, refined pop’n’roll a-la Boz Scaggs and r&b/funk in the best Earth, Wind & Fire vein. Foster produced a couple of pivotal moments including the opener “Mr. Briefcase,” a catchy pop/rock up-tempo that perfectly sets the album’s atmosphere and the gorgeous ballad “No Sympathy.” Both songs were written by Tagg and were shining examples of the best quality pop of that era. For those interested you can find both songs reviewed in our archives. The “Rit” album became a multi-format seller reaching #4 on the Jazz chart, #20 on the R&B chart and #26 on Billboard’s Top 200.

“Rit” also scored a Top 15 hit with “Is It You?,” a single on Billboard’s Hot 100 that showcased Ritenour’s slick sound. Co-written by Ritenour with Tagg and Champlin, “Is It You?” is a smooth, EWF-inspired jam that also climbed to #27 on the R&B chart. Produced by Mason and Ritenour, “Is It You?” sports a beautiful melody and a memorable refrain with killer performances by its three co-writers, Foster and the late Richard Tee on keyboards plus Jerry Hey sweet punctuation with the trumpet.

Listening to the ear-candy melody and top notch atmospheres of “Is It You?,” we long for the days when real music like this was in rotation on radios and could surge to the top of the music charts. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, yet you can still rediscover gems of this caliber and share their beauty with new generations.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/is_it_you.mp3|titles=Is It You?|artists=Eric Tagg]

Lead Vocals: Eric Tagg
Harmony Vocals: Bill Champlin
Guitar: Lee Ritenour
Bass: Abraham Laboriel
Keyboards: David Foster & Richard Tee
Drums: Harvey Mason
Percussion: Alex Acuna
Trumpet: Jerry Hey

Produced by Harvey Mason & Lee Ritenour

Lyrics

Someone’s just outside, knocking at my door
A stranger, somebody unknown
Someone’s in my dreams, can’t get it off my mind yeah
I’m tired of being alone
Someone’s trying to find an easy way inside
Come on, I’m right here at home, right at home

Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you?

Who’s that deep inside me, sneaking around my heart?
Are you somebody in love?
Show me what you’re doing and tell me who you are
Hey! I’m ready for love, for love.

Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you?

If it’s you, come out in the open
You don’t need to hide your love
If it’s you, you know I’m hoping
‘Cause it’s way too late to run away
Don’t run away from love, my love
Is it you?

[Instrumental]

Is it you, knocking at my door?
Is it my imagination?
Is it you, I can’t get off my mind?
Is it you, you, you?
Is it you, sneaking around my heart?
Is it my imagination?
Is it you, I can’t get off my mind?
You, you, you?

written by Lee Ritenour & Eric Tagg

“No Sympathy” is a breathtaking ballad that was included on Lee Ritenour’s 1981 “Rit” album. This beautiful song was one of the highlights of the record together with the refined mid-tempo hit single, “Is It You?.”
“No Sympathy” was co-written by the virtuoso guitarist with super-talented singer Eric Tagg who handled the lead vocals. This song belongs to the quality pop style of the early eighties where pop songs had gorgeous melodies, superior musical background, smooth vocals and high-tech productions. Tagg’s voice is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and is gently supported by Rit’s trademark guitar playing and David Foster’s superb keyboard playing. Foster also co-produced the song and wrote the silky string arrangement. Another elegant addition is Bill Champlin’s fantastic background vocal. Given the ear candy, catchy value of this ballad, it is quite a surprise that “No Sympathy” wasn’t released as a follow-up single after the success of “Is It You?.” Clearly aware of the potential of “No Sympathy,” Ritenour remade it in 2002, for his then-wife Anri on her “Smooth Jam-Quiet Storm” album. It’s a faithful rendition though Anri’s voice can’t match Tagg’s in phrasing, style and elegance. “Smooth Jam-Quiet Storm” is an interesting album for Foster fans because it also includes remakes of two other masterpieces, “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “The Best Of Me.” Although really nicely done, it just can’t compare to the originals.

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/no_sympathy.mp3|titles=No Sympathy|artists=Lee Ritenour]

Lead Vocals: Eric Tagg
Guitars: Lee Ritenour
Keyboards: David Foster & Greg Mathieson
Bass: David Hungate
Drums: Rick Shlosser
Percussion: Harvey Mason
Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin

Produced & Arranged by David Foster, Harvey Mason & Lee Ritenour

Lyrics

Who cries for me?
Who knows my tragedy?
Who tries to see?
No tears, no sympathy.

Easy come and easy go
But I just lost the star of my show
And I could surely use a helping hand.
Doesn’t anybody care?
Can’t find comfort anywhere.
Doesn’t someone out there understand?

Who cries for me?
Who knows my tragedy?
Who tries to see?
No tears, no sympathy.

Who feels for me?
Won’t you try to see?
There has to be
Someone who has a tear to shed
A heart to be led
For me.

Who cried for me?
Who knew my tragedy?
Who tried to see?
You gave me sympathy

(fade)

Legendary jazz/fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour released a few-oriented albums, “Rit” in 1981, “Rit 2” in 1982 plus “Banded Together” in 1984. All these records were absolute treats for quality pop lovers. One song, “Is It You” from “Rit,” reached the top 15 on Billboard’s Hot 100. “Rit 2” maintains the same ingredients as its predecessor, a well-dosed mix of elegant pop/soul moments with a strong jazzy flavor and a couple of classy instrumentals. The stellar cast of musicians is basically the same on both albums with production duties being done Ritenour and Harvey Mason. Eric Tagg’s unique voice is in the frontline, singing smooth harmonies together with Bill Champlin and Richard Page. Ritenour shines on guitar while David Foster, Greg Mathieson, John Robinson, Don Grusin, Nathan East, Jerry Hey and many others work their magic in the refined musical background.

“Rit 2” offers the listener one gem after another. The opener, “Cross My Heart” is a breezy pop tune that also reached the lower part of Billboard’s Hot 100. “Dreamwalking” is a stunning ballad that was also the title-track of Tagg’s solo album that Ritenour produced in 1981. “Keep It Alive” is another up-tempo soul ballad. “Voices,” co-arranged by Foster and Ritenour, is more on the pop/rock side with its radio-friendly rhythms and melody. Foster also appears on another song that was recorded for this project, “Save This Love,” a beautiful soft ballad that was only included in the original Japanese vinyl edition of “Rit 2.” We offer you this rarity, a true collector item, wonderfully sung by Tagg, one of the best “unknown” singers.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/save_this_love.mp3|titles=Save this love|artists=Eric Tagg]

Lead Vocals: Eric Tagg
Guitars: Lee Ritenour
Keyboards: David Foster
Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin
Produced by Lee Ritenour & Harvey Mason

Lyrics

NO LYRICS

Eric Tagg is one of the most gifted and talented performers to ever walk into a recording studio. Given his skills as a songwriter, his excellent phrasing and smooth voice, he should be right up there with people like Daryl Hall, Michael McDonald or Luther Vandross. Unfortunately, to this day he’s just one of the music world’s best-kept secrets. Tagg debuted in 1975 with “Smiling Memories.” David Foster and Lee Ritenour appeared on it as sidemen. Ritenour must have been quite impressed because in 1981 he asked Tagg to sing and write with him for his “Rit” album. The result was an impressive pop/fusion record along the lines of Earth, Wind & Fire or Al Jarreau with a touch of Toto. It was co-produced by the guitarist with Foster and Harvey Mason. “Rit” even scored pop with a hit single, “Is It You,” co-written by Ritenour and Tagg with Bill Champlin. The success of the project brought Tagg and Ritenour back in the studio to record “Dreamwalkin,” the singer’s third solo album. “Dreamwalkin” follows exactly the same formula as “Rit” with ten pop gems, all but one written by Eric Tagg. It is really difficult to pick only one song since all the material included here is a joy to listen to. There are echoes of Stevie Wonder, strong Brazilian influences, refined sounds and extra special musicianship by the likes of Foster, Don Grusin, John Robinson, Nathan East and many others. Some standouts on the album include the rarefied ballad, “Bigger Love,” “Just Another Dream” that could easily come out of “Songs In The Key Of Life” and the Ivan Lins’ cover, “Maos De Afeto.” “No One There” is the opening track and defines the direction of the whole album. It is an up-tempo jam with an irresistible groove. Tagg’s smooth singing is supported by Champlin on backing vocals while the rhythm section smokes behind them. Ritenour’s guitar and the Jerry Hey horns also add their signature sounds to the mix. This release is a true masterpiece, look for it! Tagg also released another record in 1997 entitled “Through My Eyes.” He continues to create music consisting of great melodies, wonderful lyrics and style. Check him out.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/no_one_there.mp3|titles=No one there|artists=Eric Tagg]

Lead Vocals: Eric Tagg
Drums: John Robinson
Bass: Abe Laboriel & Nathan East
Keyboards: David Foster & Don Grusin
Percussion: Alex Acuna
Guitars: Lee Ritenour
Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin
Horns: Jerry Hey, Chuck Findley, Gary Herbig, Tom Scott
Produced by Lee Ritenour

Lyrics

No one there, no one there
There is no one to talk to

Put a quarter in the telephone
Just to see if she still cared
But every time I call, there’s no one home
I look down in my heart, there’s no one there

A thousand people on the avenue
Walkin’ in their solitary ways
Nobody has a time to talk to you
Just passers-by, another lonely day

*No one there, no one there
(No one there to tell my problems too)
No one there
(No one there to tell me I love you)

There is no one there to talk to

Surely she must have a flame or two
People knockin’ on her door
Maybe she just found her someone new
I guess I won’t be seein’ her anymore

* (repeat)

I’ll try her one more time, I said to me
“Give that naughty girl just one more chance”
But this affair just wasn’t meant to be
Some folks never say goodbye
Just run off with another guy, you see

* (repeat & fade)