Luther Vandross supplied “My Body,” and Mills and Sembello were among the writers of “His Name is Michael.” The No. Mills opened the album with Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” and also recorded Paul Jabara’s “Eternal Love,” recorded the same year by the pre-fame Whitney Houston. Studios on both coasts were employed, and familiar musicians such as Greg Phillinganes, Richard Tee and Michael Sembello show up in the credits. Whereas Cure was synthesizer-driven pop with a funk overlay from producer George Duke, Merciless was a more eclectic affair with production from the late, great Phil Ramone, and Gary Klein and David Wolfert for Charles Koppelman’s Entertainment Company. With the reissue of Merciless, the label travels back to 1983 and her second Casablanca LP. Hit the jump to check out two more vintage releases from the SoulMusic label!Įarlier this year, SoulMusic reissued Stephanie Mills’ 1984 Casablanca release I’ve Got the Cure, her third release for the label. The diverse album sequence also includes a revival of the smoldering Sylvia Robinson hit “Pillow Talk” and the nearly-country style “Sun, Moon and Rain.” (Kinney had actually worked with Nashville’s legendary producer Billy Sherrill while a member of The Poppies.) A generous seven bonus tracks have been added to BBR’s reissue, including duets with Frederick Knight on Paul Davis’ “Sweet Life” and Knight’s own “Tonight’s the Night.”īoth BBR titles have been remastered by Nick Robbins and include new liner notes from J.
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A-Side, and even hit pole position there. B-side to another King Floyd cover (“Baby Let Me Kiss You”) was a U.K. Like Anita Ward, Fern Kinney was an unfortunate victim of the disco backlash as the 1970s made way for the 1980s, but Groove Me has aged well.
#Anita ward ring my bell track listing update#
6 Disco hit with the title track, a disco update of King Floyd’s 1971 funky admonition. Single versions of “Ring My Bell” and “Make Believe Lovers” have been appended.įern Kinney’s Groove Me wasn’t only recorded at Malaco, but was also first issued on the Malaco label. Ward’s Deniece Williams-like vocal instrument shines on this set produced by Knight and with songwriting contributions from the great Sam Dees. Records family – “Ring My Bell” ascended Ward to the pantheon of so-called “one hit wonders.” But Songs of Love offers so much more, with an emphasis not on disco floor-fillers but rather on the beguiling ballads that make the title so apropos. Cut at Jackson, Mississippi’s Malaco Studios and released on Knight’s Juana label – part of Henry Stone’s T.K. 2 R&B smash yielded the all-time disco classic “Ring My Bell,” written by Frederick Knight (“I’ve Been Lonely for So Long”). Anita Ward became an overnight sensation thanks to the success of her debut LP, Songs of Love. But those are hardly the only recent releases from these two imprints of the Cherry Red Group.īig Break has offered two titles, both from 1979 and both with ties to legendary southern soul incubator Malaco Records and Florida’s TK Records. Ward currently lives in her hometown of Memphis, and still performs on occasion.In recent days, we’ve turned the spotlight on a quartet of classic soul reissues, two each from Big Break Records (Arthur Prysock’s All My Life and Caston and Majors’ self-titled Motown album) and SoulMusic Records (Nancy Wilson’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You/Now I’m a Woman and Jerry Butler’s Love’s on the Menu/Suite for the Single Girl). Ring My Bell is also included on the Malaco compilation The Last Soul Company: Malaco, A Thirty-Year Retrospective. In 2005 Malaco Records released Ring My Bell, a collection of songs from Ward’s two Juana albums, on its 601 subsidiary. Another record, Sweet Surrender, followed on the label later that year, with the single Don’t Drop My Love peaking at No. 8 on Billboard’s Top LPs and Tapes and No. Her subsequent album, Songs of Love, followed in June and was likewise successful, reaching No. The disco-ready anthem, crowned by chimes and Ward’s fluttery soprano, topped Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Disco Singles and Hot Soul Singles charts. Released in May 1979 on Knight’s Juana imprint, Ring My Bell became a number one hit that summer. Though not keen on the track, Ward recorded it with rewritten lyrics, and Knight accompanied her on keyboards and percussion. As they were completing the sessions, they decided the album needed one more song, and Knight offered her Ring My Bell, a teen-oriented number he had originally composed for the young singer Stacy Lattisaw. At first Knight agreed to produce a three-song demo, but he was so impressed with Ward’s voice that he ultimately recorded a full-length LP with her.
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The lure of a singing career proved too strong for Ward, however, and her manager introduced her to producer and singer–songwriter Frederick Knight.