oktober 22, 2020

Narada Michael Walden - Divine Emotion (1988) - €7,99

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Divine Emotion is the ninth studio album by American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer Narada Michael Walden (credited as Narada). 
It was released in 1988. The album includes the single "Divine Emotions". 
Two other singles were released from the album: "Can't Get You Outta My Head" and "Wild Thing".

During the mid to late 80's Narada Michael Walden had spent the years between his previous album  The Nature of Things  getting huge hits with Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. 
He was spinning so much pop chart gold as a producer for other artists that his own musical career had become almost forgotton before it seemed to reach it's apex. 
This album made a concerted attempt at remedying that situation. Rather than focus on simply up and down tempo pop/R&B here however there is more forward thinking approch here as the music,no matter what the pace has the more diverse tones of his late 70's/early 80's solo albums but with the more modern production. 

The title song and "Can't Get You Out of My Head" are excellent pop/funk single-type songs that have a peppy 80's flavor but manage with their phatter bottom to avoid being at all corny."That's The Way That I Feel About Cha'" avoids that completely with a darker,more sensual arrangement and revealing that Narada had not forgotton the art of fasioning the rhythmic midtempo jam that,with the decades heavy concentration on either dance or love songs,seems to have deserted so many others. 
On "Wild Thing","Explosion" and the early proto new jack swing (on the edgier side that is) of "But What Up Doh?" veer into the long untapped catagory of the funk-rock thing and survive with all cylinders running on full throttle. 
"How Can I Make You Stay","I Belong" and "Certain Kind Of Lover" are part of Narada's production stock and trade of poppy soul ballads. 

But it's very important to note that (thankfully) none of these songs have the same kind of melodramatic,insincere and very bourguise "sad super model" type arrangements given to the vocally gifted but musically neglected Whitney Houston by him during this same period. 
There is a tougher edge to the tunes that,if Whitney had chosen these tunes then as she indeed try to later might've gotton her at least as much critical as commercial acclaim. 
In any case they work best for Narada's soulful vocal inflections. 
"Jam The Night" has to the the toughest funk jam on the album and certainly a high point in terms of it's concentration on the kind of locked tight jamming that Narada is truly capable of as a highly rhythmic drummer. 
It is that talent that is the focus of the fusion flavored instrumental "We Still Have A Dream" which after a sampling of MLK speaking really finds Narada letting loose on skins as  American Idol 's own Randy Jackson holds the bottom down with some firey bass. 
 

Side A
A1. Divine Emotions - 5:13  
A2. Can't Get You Outta My Head - 4:35  
A3. That's The Way I Feel About Cha - 4:26  
A4. Wild Thing - 5:02  
A5. How Can I Make You Stay - 4:30  

Side B
B1. Explosion - 5:20  
B2. I Belong - 4:43  
B3. But What Up Doh? - 4:00  
B4. Certain Kind Of Lover - 4:35  
B5. Jam The Night - 5:05  
B6. We Still Have A Dream - 3:27  


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Credits

Notes
Release: 1988
Format:  LP
Genre:  Soul / Funk
Label:  Reprise Records
Catalog#  9 25694-1
Prijs:  €7,99

Vinyl:  VG
Cover:  VG

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