JEVETTA STEELE - HERE IT IS

This is an interesting release for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, there are two versions of it.  For those of you who aren't familiar with her, Jevetta Steele is a member of The Steeles, a gospel family group who recorded with Prince in the 90's.  She's probably the most prominent of that group and released a solo record, "Here It Is" in 1991.  This is that original release.  It was initially only carried by Musidisc, a French label.  It included two tracks written for Steele by Prince.  'And How' and 'Skip 2 My U My Darling'.  

In 1993, she released the album in the US on Columbia, but with a different tracklist, different songs and she replaced the two Prince tracks with two other Prince songs.  The Columbia version includes the Prince penned 'Hold Me' and 'Open Book'.

The two albums share 5 songs in common though it should be noted, the songs seem to have been re-recorded for the 93 release making them different from the versions on this disc.

Steele has a powerful voice.  This is part of the reason she's singled out among her siblings.  When you listen to the material she chooses to showcase on this record, you get a mixed message.  She's obviously a strong and talented gospel singer.  You can tell that's where she feels most comfortable vocally.  The arrangements of the songs on this album definitely play to that strength.  There's an attempt to make the songs more contemporary, but they don't always cross over.  For example, the first track, 'Say A Little Prayer For You'...  Originally titled, 'I Say A Little Prayer' and written by Burt Bacharach for Dionne Warwick, features The Steeles on background performing in full gospel glory.  Even though the very nature of this tune is contemporary, it takes on a soulful gospel tinge here.  

The music arrangements can often sound a bit generic and standard.  There are exceptional tracks that really stand out.  Both of the Prince tracks make a huge impact on the ears.  The first song, 'And How' features a funky guitar punctuating throughout and a deep bass groove happening throughout.  The Steeles once again add backup maintaining that gospel feel.  'Skip 2 My U My Darling' is a more urban sounding track with some delightful organ adding the church vibe.  'Here It Is' has a light, pop beat and has a lot of potential as a chart single.  I really enjoy the tune and I think she makes a great attempt at the Top 40 sound with this one.

'Calling You' is probably the most startling of all the songs on this record.  It's stunning.  Both versions are dramatic and intense.  They allow Steele to really cut loose and show her vocal chops.  It's breathtaking.  The haunting tune was used in the "Baghdad Cafe" film and garnered Steele a lot of attention when it was released.  By itself, this track might make the purchase of either version of this album worth the money.  Wow.

'Good Foot' is a rousing number that should be sung by every church choir!  It's exciting and full of energy.  Another stunning performance here.  I'm not as enthused about the rest of the material on this disc, but I do give her credit for making this a great disc.  Even if you're only buying the disc for a couple of songs, she delivers!

For collectors of Prince, this is the most rare version of this album and hard to come by because it was only released in France.  It's also the only place you can find these two Prince songs.  If you're lucky enough to find it, buy it.  It's a must have.

My final words:  AN AMAZING RECORD FROM AN INCREDIBLE VOCALIST.

JEVETTA STEELE - HERE IT IS
01. Say A Little Prayer For You
02. Baby, Are You?
03. And How
04. You're Gonna Love Me
05. Here It Is
06. Calling You
07. In This Man's World
08. Good Foot
09. Skip 2 My U My Darling
10. Where Do We Go From Here?
11. Love Will Follow

ERASURE - COWBOY

I'm gonna try something different this time...  I've made a habit of trying to break the albums down into individual songs, but I think that gets tiring after awhile.  There are so many mediocre songs I have to try to find ways to describe.  So from now on I'm going to limit my comments to things that stand out and attract my attention.

This is the perfect album to start with.  "Cowboy" was released in 1997 on Madonna's Maverick label.  I'm not sure if this was Erasure's first release on that label, but I think it was the only one.  I might be wrong.

On the heels of the self-titled "Erasure" album, "Cowboy" saw Vince Clarke and Andy Bell returning to their traditional pop roots with catchy 3 to 4 minute songs instead of the experimental soundscapes they'd produced on "Erasure".  The more radio friendly atmosphere of "Cowboy" allowed the band some chart success in the UK and Europe.  Some of the band's singles were having impact in the US as well.

I first heard about this record not by following the charts or seeing it in the record store...  I heard the single, 'In My Arms' during the ad loop playing in a movie theater.  In the US, prior to the trailers, some theaters back in the 90's started experimenting with a looped audio track playing ads, trivia and short entertainment pieces in order to keep movie-goers from growing impatient as they waited for the film to start.  One of these clips was 'In My Arms' from Erasure.  The first time I heard it, I loved it and immediately went out and bought the album.

My impression was relief they'd moved away from the long songs of the previous album.  Now years later this disc has become what I consider the standard for Erasure releases.  I quite like Vince Clarke.  I think as a musician, he's amazingly talented and vastly unappreciated.  Because his focus is on electronic music and he works heavily with electronic instruments, he's written off by most folks.  He's not considered a genuine musician.  In reality, he's not only gifted, but able to write dramatically different and unique music pieces. 

Where Vince truly shines is sound engineering.  He creates so many different sounds unique to Erasure songs.  It's impossible for other groups to copy them.

On "Cowboy" Vince is in full form.  He generates catchy simple pop melodies, one after the other.  As usual, Andy Bell contributes the lyrics and vocals.  Their partnership seems to work well and their enjoyment in each other is forever present in their music.

Now back to what I consider a standard Erasure release...  "Cowboy" fits that description.  I can honestly say I like the entire album.  There's not a single song on here I think is horrible, but I'm not in love with it.  There are certain songs that stand out for me and if I'm creating a playlist there are tunes I'll take from this album.

'Worlds On Fire' is one of these, however my absolute favorite song on the disc is easily 'In My Arms'.  Perfect choice for a single and in my opinion, the perfect song on the album.  I love the sentiment.  I find it romantic and sweet.  'Treasure' is another song I quite enjoy.  I find it a bit of a musical mishmash, and the lyrics are a jumbled mess.  But all of that seems to come together during the chorus when Andy get down and really belts it out.

As a prelude of sorts to the cover album they did later on, the US version of "Cowboy" contains two covers.  One is 'Rapture' by Blondie, but my copy doesn't have this track.  I do have the second cover, 'Magic Moments' by Burt Bacharach and David Hall.  I've heard both and I love them both.  It's a shame my copy only has the one.  I wonder why.  Might have to upgrade it.

I'm an Erasure fan, but I'm not die hard.  I don't buy everything they put out.  Sometimes I mean to.  I think about it and I'll pick up a strange or rare bit here and there, but I've never committed to collecting them.  Maybe one day I will.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy individual discs as they come.  My final words: A RETURN TO FORM AND A SATISFYING ADDITION TO ERASURE'S GROWING CATALOG.  WORTH OWNING!

ERASURE - COWBOY

01. Rain

02. Worlds On Fire

03. Reach Out

04. In My Arms

05. Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me

06. Precious

07. Treasure

08. Boy

09. How Can I Say

10. Save Me Darling

11. Love Affair

12. Magic Moments

KENNY ROGERS - THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO

I know what you're thinking... Why on earth would I have a Kenny Rogers cd in my collection???!!! Right? Well, the answer is sadly quite simple. Believe it or not, Prince wrote a song for Kenny on this disc. Of course to avoid any awkwardness on either side, he used a pseudonym. Regardless, my relentless pursuit of Prince music inspired this purchase.

I realize I'm missing something when it comes to Rogers. I seem to miss out on that something with most vocalists. I just don't understand how people can fanatically follow an artist based solely on their vocal delivery. Of course I have a couple artists I'm interested in who are considered vocalists. One is Alison Krauss. She doesn't write any original material and yet I find the way she and her band arrange the music is quite phenomenal. Songs I wouldn't normally give a second glance receive attention after she performs them. Not so with Kenny.

In all fairness to his fame, I've given the disc an impartial listen. I listened all the way through... more than once. Maybe it's the generic arrangements, but nothing stands out. Even the Prince track is lackluster. Of course the instrumentation is arranged and performed by Rogers' producers and features no input from Prince whatsoever. Still, the song has more momentum and drive for a mid tempo ballad than any other track on the disc. Rogers enlisted the aid of other popular songwriters on this project. Michael Bolton and Burt Bacharach contributed songs. Sadly, none of them really live up the reputations of their authors. 'Anything At All' has potential but in this case, falls rather flat. You can check out the interesting background vocals by El DeBarge on the Prince number, 'You're My Love'.
My final word: YIKES. Aside from the Prince track, there's nothing worth mentioning about this boring record unless you enjoy mediocre 80s filler pop. Rogers himself once sung, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run."

My advice? Run.

KENNY ROGERS - THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO
01. This Love We Share
02. If I Could Hold On To Love
03. You're My Love
04. Time For Love
05. They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
06. Life Is Good, Love Is Better
07. Just The Thought Of Losing You
08. Anything At All
09. After All This Time
10. Twenty Years Ago

EARTH, WIND & FIRE - MILLENNIUM

Even though Earth, Wind & Fire are a famous band from the 70s, I've never really listened to them. I certainly have some affection for 70s funk bands, but this one never caught my attention. My main reason for picking up this disc is of course my obsessive pursuit of Prince songs. He contributed one track to this album. I later learned 'Super Hero' was actually used by The Steeles on the "Blankman" soundtrack. I believe this track is therefore considered a cover. At the time I was under the impression it was the only existing recording of the song. In comparison, this is the superior cut of the two versions. It's a sparse arrangement whereas The Steeles' version seems overproduced and cluttered.

I'd like to say this disc inspired me to buy more Earth, Wind & Fire material, but the exact opposite is true. I find the album tedious in a generic way. There's nothing that really stands out and grabs me. I find certain tracks somewhat interesting, but they're hardly worth the price. I keep reading about Maurice White and how important a producer/songwriter he is; yet if this work is any indication of his ability, I'm left wondering what the attraction is. Maybe is a generational thing. I'm too young to appreciate what's happening here. But my overall impression is extremely strong. I feel like I'm listening to a band that hit its stride and is now churning out retired music.

There seems to be a list of well known, respected songwriters working here to create a hit record, but the collection falls short and for the most part lacks strong efforts by various names like Philip Bailey, Frankie Blue, But Bacharach, Michael and Linda Stokes... The packaging promised something iconic, but the contents fail to deliver.

You expect something groundbreaking or more representative of the band's history and hits. What you get is bland, run of the mill pop. 'Super Hero' is the singular exception here. It's one of Prince's better tunes from the early 90s. I think Prince would have done the band a big favor by donating more tunes to this lackluster project and punching it up a couple notches. With dismal track after track of throwaway tunes, 'Millennium' needs a vital infusion of contemporary funk.

Of course these days you can download the single track and avoid the filler material entirely. I recommend saving the money unless you find it used for a couple bucks. 'Super Hero' is at least worth that. My final words: MILLENNIAL BOMB.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE - MILLENNIUM
01. Even If You Wonder
02. Sunday Morning
03. Blood Brothers
04. Kalimba Interlude
05. Spend The Night
06. Divine
07. Two Hearts
08. Honor The Magic
09. Love Is The Greatest Story
10. The "L" Word
11. Just Another Lonely Night
12. Super Hero
13. Wouldn't Change A Thing About You
14. Love Across The Wire
15. Chicago (Chi-Town) Blues
16. Kalimba Blues