I finally got around to exploring her catalog.These are the two albums that I recently purchased.Both are newly remastered and expanded with bonus tracks:

So,let's discuss her music.I've seen some less-than-flattering reviews of Music Box,but I like this album alot.There's nothing as catchy and memorable as "Shame" but there's alot of relentless grooves throughout,making it a decent disco album by 1979 standards.Of course,1982's Get Loose seems to be her masterpiece.

What's your favorite album? Favorite songs?

SoulAlive said:

I finally got around to exploring her catalog.These are the two albums that I recently purchased.Both are newly remastered and expanded with bonus tracks:

So,let's discuss her music.I've seen some less-than-flattering reviews of Music Box,but I like this album alot.There's nothing as catchy and memorable as "Shame" but there's alot of relentless grooves throughout,making it a decent disco album by 1979 standards.Of course,1982's Get Loose seems to be her masterpiece.

What's your favorite album? Favorite songs?

I think Face to Face is my fave album. My fave songs are....

Long come down

Shame

Betcha she don't love you

Shake down

Face to face

I'm in love

A greatest hits album is probably the best place to start. That's what I did.

yeah,I have this greatest hits compiltaion,which is excellent

dancerella said:

I think Face to Face is my fave album. My fave songs are....

This is one that I'm considering.Like the others,it was remastered with bonus tracks.

I like reading the reviews on warr.org,even though I rarely agree with them

Evelyn "Champagne" King

Reviewed on this page:
Smooth Talk - Music Box - Call On Me - I'm In Love - Get Loose - Flirt - Open Book

Evelyn King was fifteen, substituting for her sister as cleaning woman in Philadephia's Sigma Studios, when producer T. Life overheard her singing to herself. He got her a contract, produced her first album, and she was on her way to fame. She racked up several hits during disco's heyday, and has had inconsistent success since. King (who temporarily dropped the "Champagne" nickname during the 80s) has a beautiful voice and a savvy, sensual presence, but like most non-writing singers, she's more or less at the mercy of her producers, and has fallen into her share of traps in ill-fated attempts to remain "commercial" - not unlike Gladys Knight, who King often resembles vocally.

I don't know of any fan site as such, but there's a pretty good one-page writeup on her here. (DBW)

Smooth Talk (1977)
King's debut, produced by Theodore Life of Instant Funk, is astonishingly solid. The leadoff single "Shame" gives disco a good name: it masterfully combines sax licks, complementary rhythm guitars, a tension-building tune, and King sounding well beyond her sixteen years. The surprise is that many of the other tracks approach the same level: "Till I Come Off The Road" and "We're Going To A Party" are cheerfully raunchy, hook-filled R&B; "The Show Is Over" is a sweet, strong ballad. Overall, the lush funk approach is perhaps closest to Rufus (on the midtempo "I Don't Know If It's Right," also a hit, King even imitates Chaka Khan's phrasing), but with denser, more percussion-heavy arrangements. The weakest track is the Chic-like "Dancin', Dancin', Dancin'," and even that isn't terrible (albeit frighteningly derivative). (DBW)

Music Box (1979)
Life came back with another batch of tunes in the same rich blend of styles (the Patrice Rushen-sounding horn showpiece "Steppin' Out"). Nothing screams "hit!" like "Shame," but there are plenty of quality numbers like the toothsome love song "Let's Start All Over Again," upbeat froth "Out There" and the slow funk "I Think My Heart Is Telling." Meanwhile, King has her cake and eats it too, playing the good girl oozing sensuality ("No Time For Fooling Around," featuring Instant Funk) - having fun but not too much fun ("It's Just A Matter Of Time"). Most of the album has Leo Adamian (drums), Will Lee or Robert Berry Jr. (bass) and Stephen Robbins (keys), plus Stephen Love and Life on guitars. (DBW)

Call On Me (1980)
T. Life's third and final King project, and while his ear for arranging details is as good as ever (the strings on "Talk Don't Hurt Nobody"), his tunes aren't. "Let's Get Funky Tonight" is painfully dull disco by numbers; "I Need Your Love" is a routine ballad; "Universal Girl" is a disconnected mess. But there are enough wonderful touches - Brian & Eddie Holland's "Just A Little Bit Of Love," which uses disconcertingly loud guitar to create an eerie mood; King's playful vocals on the title track - to make it worthwhile for fans. Players include Will Lee and Francisco Centeno (bass); Steve Love, Thomas McNeil and John Fitch (guitar), Nat Lee and Steve Robbins (keyboards); Leo Admaian (drums); and Rubens Bassini (percussion); Ullanda McCullough is one of the backup vocalists. (DBW)

I'm In Love (1981)
Willie Lester and Rodney Brown produced Side Two, sticking with formula disco with unilluminating results ("What Are You Waiting For," "The Other Side Of Love," "The Best In Yet To Come") - "I Can't Take It" is the best of the batch. Fortunately, the other side was turned over to Morrie Brown and Kashif, formerly a passenger on the B.T. Express ("Do It (Til You're Satisfied)"), and they abruptly invented Hi-NRG dance, a frothy mix of programmed percussion, Moog bass, chorused guitar, and squiggly treble synth. The combination produced the title track, a dancefloor hit, and a bunch of soundalikes ("If You Want My Lovin'"). Less successfully, they also mix in a ballad ("Don't Hide Our Love," a weak copy of "Be Ever Wonderful"). (DBW)

Get Loose (1982)
Brown and Kashif got the whole album this time, and came up with the lovely dance track "Love Come Down," a huge hit. Though the format is largely the preceding disc's Hi-NRG, Kashif's attention to soft instrumental shadings makes for an agreeable blend of 80s synths and 70s smoothness. There are two big problems, though: the rest of the songs are thin, with repetitive lyrics ("Back To Love") and lackluster riffs ("Betcha She Don't Love You" is an exception); and King's singing is characterless, lacking flair, except on the ballad "I'm Just Warming Up" and the fadeout of "Love Come Down." Since we've all heard her belt out "Shame," the problem isn't with her pipes; I'm guessing the blame can be attributed to producer Morrie Brown, who presumably wanted her to affect a tiny voice to appeal to teenyboppers, or something. Paul Lawrence Jones III wrote and performed the weakest, most mechanical tracks; other musicians include Andy Newmark (drums), Ira Siegel (guitar), and Barry Eastmond (keys). There's no compelling reason to get this unless you can't live without the single. (DBW)

Face To Face (1983)
The singles were "Action" and "Shake Down." Producers include Andre Cymone and Leon Sylvers III. (DBW)

So Romantic (1984)

A Long Time Coming (1985)

Flirt (1988)
By now King was a veteran at the advanced age of 28, and rather at a loss in the post-disco era. If this desperately edgy electronic effort makes you think of Gladys Knight's more embarrassing mid-80s outings, it's no coincidence: most tracks were produced by Leon Sylvers III or Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey, each of whom had previously worked with Knight. (King even sounds like Gladys on "You Can Turn Me On") Though Sylvers had done some good work with Knight, here he contributes nothing but relentlessly up-to-date tripe ("Before The Date," with perhaps the stupidest lyrics I've ever heard). His title track, one of the lamer late 80s attempts to cash in on AIDS fears, somehow went to #3 on the R&B chart. Kersey contributes the album's best cut, the techno-ballad "Kisses Don't Lie," which rises nearly to the level of an Angela Winbush outtake. Weirdest of all is the incredibly mechanical synth workout "Stop It," produced by guitar legend Wah-Wah Watson, who doesn't play on the track. (DBW)

Girl Next Door (1989)

I'll Keep A Light On (1995)
Features a remake of "Shame" and an appearance by Larry Graham. (DBW)

Open Book (2007)
A middling comeback attempt overseen by Preston Glass, who serves up a full platter of updated R&B and dance, all peppered with catchphrases that try a little too hard to be current ("Skillz"; "Creepin'" with a guest rap from Silver Turtle). (Curiously, "Not That Kinda Party" is direct from the early 90s, from the lyrics to the "Straight Up" beat). However, in the main the backing tracks sound up to date but not cloyingly so, with some nice touches (sax on "Standing On The Rock Of Love"), and midtempo numbers like "Whole Lotta Yum Yum" (with soothing vibes) and "Paradise" have the winsome insouciance of King's early days. Her voice sounds fine (title track, an attempt at a Stephanie Mills-style anthem) but as ever, rarely individual enough to put her stamp on the proceedings and elevate the tunes from the realm of ordinary (the ballad "Nobody Knows"). So as enjoyable as cuts like "True To My Boo" and "The Dance" (a rewrite of "A Deeper Love") are, you kind of have to ask yourself why you're listening to them. (DBW)

My favorites from her are:

"Get Loose"

"I'm In Love"

"A Long Time Coming"

"Flirt"

Get Loose best album

I love all her singles though too.

I did like Shakedown and Teenager from Face 2 Face

Get Loose by far is my favorite from her (and probably Kashif's output as well).

The Big Break Records Get Loose reissue remastering is magnificent, and includes mixes from the singles.

http://www.cherryred.co.u...asp?id=807

SoulAlive said:

yeah,I have this greatest hits compiltaion,which is excellent

This is still the best compilation of her. Still recent so it sounds great, and they put all the right mixes on it.

kitbradley said:

This album was the first one not on RCA, but EMI, so these songs don't get attention when her hits catalog is compiled. I love "Kisses Don't Lie"

SoulAlive said:

dancerella said:

I think Face to Face is my fave album. My fave songs are....

This is one that I'm considering.Like the others,it was remastered with bonus tracks.

I just got Get Loose and Shame for the Evelyn King BBR stuff. I'd probably get I'm In Love next.

Cinny said:

kitbradley said:

This album was the first one not on RCA, but EMI, so these songs don't get attention when her hits catalog is compiled. I love "Kisses Don't Lie"

I know. Which is unfortunate considering she did garner two Top Ten singles and one Top 20 single from the album. And, yes, "Kisses Don't Lie" is probably my favorite song from her entire career.

Definitely the Get Loose album.

My favorite songs are Shame, I'm In Love, Music Box, Betcha She Don't love You,

Love Come Down, Get Loose, Shakedown.

I get to see Evelyn and Midnight Star May 24 at a free show in uptown Charlotte.

Shame

I Don't Know If It's Right

I'm In Love

Spirit Of The Dancer

If You Want My Lovin'

Love Come Down

Betcha She Don't Love You

Get Loose

Shake Down

Action

.

.

.

[Edited 5/14/12 21:20pm]

"Get Loose" definitely whch still sounds fresh today, with "I'm In LOve" a close second. My favourite tracks include:

Love Come Down

Back To Love

I'm In Love

Spirit Of The Dancer

and the later jam: Give Me One Reason

Cinny said:

Get Loose by far is my favorite from her (and probably Kashif's output as well).

The Big Break Records Get Loose reissue remastering is magnificent, and includes mixes from the singles.

http://www.cherryred.co.u...asp?id=807

yeah,Get Loose is her masterpiece.It's a perfect early 80s R&B album.I was disappointed that she didn't work with Kashif on the follow-up but by that point,I guess he was too bsuy with his own album,as well as Melba Moore and Whitney Houston's album.

whitesockedfunk said:

Love Come Down

Back To Love

Spirit Of The Dancer

this one is cute