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Even though Just Family was produced by Stanley Clarke and employs a lot of musicians who had jazz backgrounds -- including Chick Corea, George Duke, Airto Moreira, and Bobby Lyle -- this is an R&B album first and foremost. Dee Dee Bridgewater would return to jazz in a major way in the 1980s, but in the late 1970s, she was emphasizing adult-oriented R&B and going after fans of artists like Phyllis Hyman and Minnie Riperton. The strongest tracks on this LP, which was recorded when Bridgewater was 27, range from the playful title song and the Earth, Wind & Fire-ish "Children Are the Spirit (Of the World)" to the dreamy "Sweet Rain" and an emotional cover of Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." Also noteworthy is the Brazilian-influenced "Night Moves," a Michael Franks tune. Those who know Bridgewater for her hard-swinging jazz CDs of the 1980s and 1990s should be warned that Just Family isn't a jazz album at all. It must be judged by R&B standards, not jazz standards -- and from an R&B standpoint, Just Family is generally decent, if unspectacular and uneven. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Keep This Fire Burning Outsiders Feat. Amanda Wilson |
| This track may seem familiar to some and rightly so, having originally been sung by Robyn and then covered by soul sensation Beverley Knight a few years back. Since then the Outsiders (Vincent Morrissey and DJ Skweez) have taken this R&B/pop hit, reworked it with Amanda Wilson doing the guest vocals on their dance version (she of the 'Watchin' by the Freemasons fame). Maybe because of this the Freemasons have done a mix of the single with their trademark loops & beats set against their exuberant production, as distinctive as their own competent back catalogue and mixes of others, such as Beyoncé. The WAWA mix is a more housey effort, with more piano-based activity & a heavy, bass driven melody. Both versions seem more fun than the original, which appears too slow and the vocal sounds distant & uninteresting. All in all there is something for everyone out of the 11 mixes on the CD single and it's been huge all over Europe this autumn, simply because it's an uplifting slice of mainstream dance, that stands above most of the fodder in its niche. Stuart A. ©2008 Shazam Entertainment Limited. All rights reserved. | |
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