Wonderfully smooth soul from Evelyn Champagne King – one of her real standouts from the early days, before her disco fame, and a tremendous collaboration with producer/arranger T Life! The sound here is upbeat and catchy, but never too poppy – done with a hint of that groove that King would hit more famously in the 80s, but served up here with a deeper sense of warmth, and a slightly more laidback feel.
King is classy without being cloying – just like a sip of the right sort of champagne – and T Life's backings often have a slight undercurrent of funk. Titles include the club classic "Shame" – but the best numbers for me are the slower, more soulful "Smooth Talk", "Til I Come Off The Road", "Nobody Knows", "We're Going To A Party", and "The Show Is Over". My personal favorite though would be the album version of her disco hit 'I Don't Know If It's Right', a heartbreaking rendering of a wonderful song that would unfortunately be speeded up and remixed for dancefloor purposes in its more famous incarnation.
Enjoy it!
Greg
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