Smooth Talk (1985)

Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King - The RCA Albums 1977-1985 (2020) {8CD Set, Soul Music Records SMCR -5197BX}
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© 2020 RCA / Soul Music Records | SMCR -5197BX
R&B / Disco / Contemporary R&B / Post-Disco

Combining her diva-level vocal power and teen-next-door effervescence, Evelyn "Champagne" King scored a trifecta with "Shame," a Top Ten hit on Billboard's club, R&B, and pop charts across 1977 and 1978. The definitive disco classic was merely the start of a long run with RCA Victor highlighted by 19 additional charting singles and a trio of Top Ten R&B LPs through 1986. Commercial R&B evolved rapidly during this period. King was in on virtually all of the developments, including but not limited to funky disco (backed by members of Instant Funk, whose underappreciated T. Life discovered and first produced her) and pop-flavored post-disco (assisted most prominently by innovators Morrie Brown, Kashif, and Paul Laurence Jones).

Edmond Hall, James P. Johnson, Sidney De Paris, Vic Dickenson - The Complete Blue Note Sessions (1985) {4CD Mosaic rec 1941-52}
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© 1941-52, 1985 Mosaic Records / Blue Note | MD4-109
Jazz / Early Jazz / New Orleans Jazz / Swing / Dixieland / Stride

To say that this limited-edition six-LP Mosaic box is overflowing with classics is an understatement. Included are a variety of small-group sessions (with overlapping personnel) from the early days of Blue Note. The Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet has five songs that are the only existing examples of Charlie Christian playing acoustic guitar; clarinetist Hall, Meade Lux Lewis (on celeste), and bassist Israel Crosby complete the unique group. The king of stride piano, James P. Johnson, is heard on eight solos; other combos are led by Johnson, Hall (who heads four groups in all), trumpeter Sidney DeParis, and trombonist Vic Dickenson (heard in a 1952 quartet with organist Bill Doggett).

After eight albums, the late soprano saxophonist George Howard found a comfortable and solid if slightly predictable niche in the intensifying realm of instrumental R&B. On Love & Understanding, his first original GRP outing (after a re-release of 1985's Dancing in the Sun), he sticks to the basic funk and romance formulas which made him one of the most consistent suppliers of sweet and nasty improvisational soul over the previous half decade.

Pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, author, and host Ben Sidran is a literate performer known for his engaging, jazz-influenced sound and laid-back, conversational style. Essentially a pianist/vocalist with a storytelling approach in the tradition of Mose Allison, Sidran grew from a supporting player with rocker Steve Miller to a solo performer, and to an award-winning radio and TV host. Along the way, he has produced albums for such luminaries as Allison, Van Morrison, Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, and others.

Known for his mariachi-inspired easy listening sound, trumpeter Herb Alpert is one of the most successful instrumental performers in pop history. He is also one of the entertainment industry's canniest businessmen, having co-founded A&M Records – a label that ranks among the most prosperous artist-owned companies ever established – with partner Jerry Moss. Collection includes: The Lonely Bull (1962); South Of The Border (1964); Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965); !!Going Places!! (1965); What Now My Love (1966); S.R.O (1966); The Beat Of The Brass (1968); Rise (1979); Fandango (1982); Bullish (1984); Keep Your Eye On Me (1987); Classics, Volume 1 (1987); Steppin' Out (Featuring Lani Hall) (2013); In The Mood (2014); Come Fly With Me (2015).

Eden is the debut studio album by British musical duo Everything but the Girl. It was released on 4 June 1984 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album contains the single "Each and Every One", which peaked at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The cover design was by lead singer Tracey Thorn's former colleague in the Marine Girls, Jane Fox. By 2012, Eden had sold around 500,000 copies. Eden was reissued in 2012 as a remastered edition by Edsel Records.