Unstoppable is both a celebration of Staton's legacy and a
bold step forward, with a sound that's funky and contemporary, but still
steeped in the Southern soul and blues of her Alabama roots. Featuring an ace rhythm
section made up of Staton's sons, bassist Marcel Williams and drummer Marcus
Williams (Isaac Hayes, Pointer Sisters), the album reunites the singer with
producer Mark Nevers (Lambchop), who helmed His Hands (2006) and Who's Hurting
Now (2009), the critically acclaimed albums for London label Honest Jon's that
reestablished Staton as a force to be reckoned with. But where those albums
showcased Staton's skills as an interpreter of bluesy ballads, Unstoppable
which Marcus Williams co-produced with Nevers is a more celebratory, uptempo
set. 'It's my kind of music,' she says proudly. 'It's more of a happy record, a
dancing record.'
Tamia - Passion Like Fire
Every so
often, an unforgettable voice comes along. One possessed by a deep-rooted passion
that subtly powers a soulful, silky sound that will never go out of style. The
voice in question: Tamia. Three years after releasing her No. 1-debuting
R&B album Love Life, Tamia is back with the sizzling single “Leave It
Smokin’.” Already a No.1 hit at urban AC after a short time on the chart,
“Leave It Smokin’” sets the alarm for Passion Like Fire, Tamia’s seventh studio
album. The album in turn also marks another momentous occasion: the 20th
anniversary of Tamia’s critically acclaimed, selftitled 1998 debut album. The
album initiated a string of hits that the six-time Grammy® Award nominee has
steadily spun, including “You Put a Move on My Heart,” and “Missing You” with
Brandy, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan. The tracks comprising Passion Like Fire are
no exception. The aforementioned “Leave it Smokin’” reunited Tamia with hit
maker Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Jazmine Sullivan, Miguel), who also produced
the Grammy® Award-nominated title track from the singer’s 2012 album Beautiful
Surprise. In addition to Remi, Tamia reteamed with two more previous
collaborators, Lil Ronnie (Tamia’s Love Life album, Mary J. Blige) and Grammy®
Award winner Shep Crawford (Tamia’s Hot 100 top 10 hit “Stranger in My House,”
Deborah Cox). Tamia also worked for the first time with Latin producer Andres
Torres (Marc Anthony), who contributed the big ballad “Deeper.” Sequenced to
mirror the various stages of a relationship, Passion Like Fire’s additional
track standouts include the vibey, Sade-ish “Better,” mid-tempo ballad “Stay”
and potential 2018 wedding song “Today I Do.”
The Four Tops - The Complete ABC/Dunhill Singles
With 47 Pop
hits and 52 R&B hits to their credit spanning nearly 25 years of
recordings, The Four Tops are one of the greatest vocal groups in the history
of pop music, hands down. But a big chunk of their hits, the ones they recorded
for the ABC/Dunhill label, have been almost entirely unavailable in the CD era.
This 2-CD collection from Real Gone Music answers the prayers of soul fans
worldwide by presenting, for the first time ever on CD, all 33 rare single
sides that the Tops recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label from 1972 through 1978.
Just how rare are these tracks? We’ll get into that in a sec; but first, a
little history. Though The Four Tops (Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Abdul “Duke”
Fakir, Lawrence Payton, and lead singer Levi Stubbs) had dominated the charts
with their classic recordings for Motown in the ‘60s, when the label decided in
1972 to move to Los Angeles, the group, like many of their celebrated
label-mates, felt it was time for a change. They thus signed with ABC Records’
Dunhill imprint and hooked up with producer Steve Barri (The Grass Roots) and
songwriters Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who re-created their classic
Motown sound on Top Ten hits like “Keeper of the Castle” and “Ain’t No Woman
(Like the One I’ve Got).” In all, The Tops recorded 17 A-sides (including a
Spanish-language version of “Keeper of the Castle”) for ABC/Dunhill during
their six years on the label, notching a total of 11 Billboard Pop hits and 15
R&B hits, but those original hit singles (and their even rarer B-sides)
have been almost impossible to find on CD. Why? Well, in a sad tale we’ve told
before on our previous Dunhill singles collections featuring The Mamas and The
Papas, Steppenwolf, and The Grass Roots, legend has it that label head Jay
Lasker threw out the tapes, deeming them worthless. A few singles—those
identical to the album versions—have leaked out on CD, but here is the
breakdown: of the 33 tracks (the seven earliest mono, the rest stereo), 27 have
never been available on CD in their correct single versions, and 13 songs have
never appeared on CD in any version! Like on our previous collections, the
“Dunhill dream reissue team” of engineer Aaron Kannowski, liner note
writer/A&R man Ed Osborne, and co-producer Gordon Anderson is at the helm
for this release; Osborne’s notes (which are always a fun, informative read)
feature quotes from original writers/co-producers Steve Barri and Dennis
Lambert, with great photos to boot. Special notice must also be given to Aaron
Kannowski, who once again went to the ends of the earth to track down sources
for this collection. It’s the missing chapter in the career of one of the
greatest vocal groups of all time…a very, very proud addition to our Real Gone
Music roster and a Four Tops collection you’re gonna want to spin again and
again!
