This Blog is ONLY to promote and spread the real classic & original FUNK throughout the world.
Any requests and/or questions, send an e-mail to: pacotation@gmail.com.
We will fulfill requests as far as possible, only for those who identify themselves with a name or nickname.
NO MORE "ANON..."
PLEASE, NOW THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE BLOG IS ENGLISH. NO POST IN THE CHATBOX SHOULD BE RESPONDED IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE OUT OF RESPECT TO OTHER PARTICIPANTS. I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND THIS.
This is neither "Aurra" of "Make Up Your Mind" or "Are You Single" fame nor is it the later "Deja" reincarnation which brought us "You And Me Tonight". Neither Starleana Young nor Curt Jones are on these recordings but instead Mark Stevens (Chaka Khan's brother) and Sheila Horne Brody a/k/a Sheila Washington, Steve Washington's wife. The vocals are strong and fit the original band's name. Even better: while the vocalists are different all the other trade marks of Steve Washington's work with both the original Aurra incarnation and also with Slave are here: his Bass, his chord changes, his arrangements, the vocal hooks, etc. As a consequence this sounds like rediscovering an old friend though this was never released at the time of its recording (ca. 1983): Rickey Vincent's essay in the booklet explains the legal wrangles over the name Aurra and the disputes between various parties involved a bit. While I enjoyed listening to this album I guess it will remain a title for aficionados and Funk archeologists. The thing that didn't age well (and might have even prevented it from becoming a successful 80s release had it seen the light of day back then) are the very straight Linn drum programs. I am actually wondering whether Steve Washington would have considered (t)his drum programming finished. This sounds very quantized. James Mtume explains nicely in the RedBullMusic video why Juicy Fruit was so funky (check Youtube for "beat:repeat NYC | Mtume - Juicy Fruit").
This is neither "Aurra" of "Make Up Your Mind" or "Are You Single" fame nor is it the later "Deja" reincarnation which brought us "You And Me Tonight". Neither Starleana Young nor Curt Jones are on these recordings but instead Mark Stevens (Chaka Khan's brother) and Sheila Horne Brody a/k/a Sheila Washington, Steve Washington's wife. The vocals are strong and fit the original band's name. Even better: while the vocalists are different all the other trade marks of Steve Washington's work with both the original Aurra incarnation and also with Slave are here: his Bass, his chord changes, his arrangements, the vocal hooks, etc. As a consequence this sounds like rediscovering an old friend though this was never released at the time of its recording (ca. 1983): Rickey Vincent's essay in the booklet explains the legal wrangles over the name Aurra and the disputes between various parties involved a bit.
ReplyDeleteWhile I enjoyed listening to this album I guess it will remain a title for aficionados and Funk archeologists. The thing that didn't age well (and might have even prevented it from becoming a successful 80s release had it seen the light of day back then) are the very straight Linn drum programs. I am actually wondering whether Steve Washington would have considered (t)his drum programming finished. This sounds very quantized.
James Mtume explains nicely in the RedBullMusic video why Juicy Fruit was so funky (check Youtube for "beat:repeat NYC | Mtume - Juicy Fruit").