Before Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis became known as the team behind Janet Jackson’s astronomical success , they produced a series of R&B bangers for a range of artists including Patti Austin, Cheryl Lynn, and their Minneapolis homeboy Alexander O’ Neal. Their first solid success as a production team came at the top of 1983 with The S.O.S. Band’s “Just Be Good to Me”. That band had been more or less stuck in one hit-wonderville since their huge disco smash “Take Your Time (Do […]
Jheri Curl Fridays
Jheri Curl Fridays: “Slow Hand”
It took me a long time before I figured out how sexy a song The Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand” is. Hell, when this song was popular, I was 5 and had no idea what June, Anita and Ruth were singing about. I just knew that I liked the song. The rest of the American public liked it too, as it was the Sisters’ second single to reach the runner-up position on the singles chart. The song that held it off? […]
Jheri Curl Fridays: “That’s What Love is All About”
Michael Bolton gets a bad rap. Yeah, I said it. Even though the guy’s been rumored to be kind of a prima donna, and even though he’s gotten carried away with the vocal pyrotechnics on occasion, I’ll be the first to admit that the former Michael Bolotin can carry a tune. As overwrought as he could be, I can think of 10 or so songs from his popular era (1988-1995 or so). Granted, I can also pick out as many […]
Jheri Curl Fridays: “Tell it to My Heart”
I haven’t been paying much attention to “American Idol” this year (other than GG’s awesome wrap-up columns), but my eyes did perk up when I realized one of the contestants performed Taylor Dayne’s 1990 chart topper “Love Will Lead You Back”. It was the first and only #1 hit for the songstress, a leather-lunged lass from Long Island who first appeared on the scene two 1/2 years before with the dance/pop classic “Tell it to My Heart” . (you’re gonna have to click on the […]
Jheri Curl Fridays: “Just Got Paid”
Gotta leave that 9 to 5 up on the shelf…and just enjoy yourself-Rod Temperton Look, life is stressful. Sometimes, just to maintain your sanity, you’ve got to cut loose. What’s that they say about all work and no play? Johnny Kemp perfectly captured the point in time when you can leave the stress of the work week behind and take it easy with his 1988 hit “Just Got Paid”. Written by Kemp along with super-producer Teddy Riley, Guy singer Aaron […]
Jheri Curl Fridays: Jesse Johnson’s Revue
The other night, me and several of my writin’ and bloggin’ brethren (and sistren) were discussing whether @knownasprince on Twitter was really Prince Rogers Nelson. My buddy Pete responded that if the real Prince was really offering up those “Chicken Soup for the Soul”-esque Tweets, then I was really Time drummer Jellybean Johnson. I promptly whined to Pete about being cast off as the second least important member of the original Time lineup. Hell, why couldn’t I have been Jimmy or […]
