BENTLEYFUNK@HOTMAIL.COM / 2026 / SINCE 2008
mardi 15 septembre 2026
Ready For The World - The Studio Recordings
Girls Will Be Girls The Klymaxx Final Anthology
Leon Haywood – I'm Out To Catch (The 70s - 80s Collection)
Groove With Karyn White
Pebbles - Always (The MCA Recordings)
Perri Arlette Reid (née McKissack; August 29, 1964), known professionally as Pebbles, is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, pastor, record producer, and music executive. She is known for her hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s such as "Girlfriend" (1987), "Mercedes Boy" (1988), "Giving You the Benefit" (1990), "Love Makes Things Happen" (1990) and "Backyard" (1991). In addition to a recording career, Reid helped develop the contemporary R&B group TLC. She is now an Atlanta-based minister, known as Sister Perri.
Dance With Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. Watley first found musical success in 1977 when she became a part of the original lineup of the R&B group Shalamar. The group recorded the hits "The Second Time Around", "A Night to Remember" and "Dead Giveaway". After recording several albums with the group, Watley left the group in 1983.
Watley signed with MCA Records and the label released her self-titled debut album in 1987. The album launched three top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100: Number 1 R&B Hit "Looking for a New Love", "Don't You Want Me", and "Some Kind of Lover". The success of the album helped Watley to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1988.[4][5] Watley would eventually record four more top ten singles between 1989 and 1996 including Number 1 R&B Hit "Real Love" and "Friends" with rapper Rakim. "Friends" would arguably helped propel the formula of pop or R&B and rap collaborations along with Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" which was a US top five Hot 100 hit several years prior in 1984. After the success of her sophomore album, Larger than Life, her commercial success peaked and subsequent releases such as Affairs of the Heart and Intimacy failed to make much of an impact on the Top 200 Album chart. Jody Watley, known as a style icon, has continued to evolve creatively and independently across genres of dance and electronica [6][7]
Since 2023, Watley has hosted the Sirius XM Satellite Radio show, The Jody Watley Show, a monthly life, music and culture show featuring celebrity guests and classic R&B hits.[8][9][10]
Her honors have included a Billboard Dance Lifetime Achievement Award and a Crossover Music Icon honor at the Black Music Honors.[11][12][13] In 2018, she was ranked the 53rd most successful female charting artist on the Billboard Hot 100.[14] In March 2021, Watley was named the First Ambassador of the National Museum of African American Music.[15] In 2022, Watley received an honorary doctorate in business and Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from Joe Biden at Jody Watley Day at Georgia State Capitol,[16][17] and was inducted into Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Thelma The Houston Anthology
Freddie James - Get Up & Boogie (The Anthology)
Tony Green discovered him, when Green was producing Geraldine Hunt - Sweet Honesty. Green recorded 4 tracks with James, who was just 14 at the time. This led to the release of Freddie James - Get Up And Boogie. For several years he was a dominant artist in the Disco charts. After the years, his career evolved from child star to hip urban funkster.
In the mid-1980's he landed a part in stage musical "Hair" which led to a part as 'Flash' in the 1987 movie "Wild Thing." After attending an Open Mic night, Freddie started in comedy. He performed in clubs such as The Comedy Nest, The Comedy Works and the Canadian comedy chain Yuk Yuks.
At the end of the 1990's he formed The Freddie James Project together with Rosalind Hunt.
dimanche 13 septembre 2026
Ray, Goodman & Brown - Mood for Lovin' (1988)
Ray, Goodman & Brown (1986) Take It To The Limit
Arguably, the sweet singing trio's best LP, other than their best-of compilations, buttery smooth from beginning to end, with no embarrassing tracks interrupting the flow of non-stop love songs emanating from Harry Ray, Al Goodman, and Billy Brown. The exquisite title cut "Take It to the Limit," is a quiet storm favorite that features all three voices; the contrast, lyrics, and smooth session musicians including Najee combined for an outstanding performance. They croon about love from all angles "Celebrate Our Love" is positive and happy, while "Someone's Missing Your Love," will have you weeping. Harry Ray's lead gets the most play and he doesn't get any better than on "Waiting for Dawn"; his light falsetto delivers the sensitive lyrics of loneliness so tenderly you'd think he was trying to lullaby a baby to sleep. Billy Brown's churchy tenor is outstanding on "We've Got Tonight."
Ray, Goodman & Brown (1981) Stay
Ray, Goodman & Brown pay homage to doo wop on a very nostalgic-sounding LP. Billy Brown leads "Only You," originally done by the Platters; the backing vocals by Al Goodman and Harry Ray are straight from the '50s. "Good Ole Days" parodies doo wop; the amusing song contains all the elements of street-corner harmony, including hokey bass parts and escalating falsettos runs. Two of their most beautiful songs, the whimsical "Heaven In the Rain" and "Pool of Bad Luck," with its clever lyrics, are simply delicious. The title cut, "Stay," is a new composition with rudimentary roots; it sets the tone for the album. The concept strays at times, but this still rates as one of their best.
Ray, Goodman & Brown II / 1980
Ray, Goodman & Brown's second Polydor LP is as refreshing as the first. The rapping among the group to introduce and end songs harkens back to '50s doo wop; groups singing under street lamps and in hallways would employ the technique to get everybody on the same page. On "Happy Anniversary," a romantic, sentimental ballad, the technique enhances the song. Likewise on the underrated "Shoe Strings," a regretful love refrain with a sweet chorus. The late Harry Ray shines on both with his mesmerizing, buttery falsetto. Billy Brown does "My Prayer," the old Platters tune, in straight '50s style. RG&B do more with three voices than most can accomplish with four or five, but they do utilize a fourth voice; Walter Morris rounds out the harmonies on most of their recordings. A different technique is employed on "You," where each member spits out lines on the chorus. The shuffling, reggae beat of "Each Time Is Like the First Time" is irresistible, and shows their versatility. Ray lays his sweet tenor on the romantic "A Part of You," a ballad made for quiet storm formats. An excellent piece of work produced by Vinnie Castellano.
Ray, Goodman & Brown 1979
Ray, Goodman & Brown is the eponymous studio album by American R&B/soul vocal trio Ray, Goodman & Brown, released in 1979 through Polydor Records. Recording sessions took place at H & L Sound Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey with record producer Vincent Castellano. The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and number 2 on the Soul LPs chart in the United States, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on April 2, 1980.[3] It spawned the hit singles: "Special Lady" and "Inside of You", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at No. 5 and No. 76, respectively.[4] Its lead single, "Special Lady", became number-one R&B single in the U.S. and was certified gold by the RIAA on May 13, 1980.
samedi 12 septembre 2026
The Moments - Sharp (1978)
The Moments – Moments With You (1976)
The Moments - Look At Me (1975)
The Moments – Those Sexy Moments (1974)
Throughout the late '60s to the late '70s, the Moments were one of the premier and loved groups in R&B. Tracks like "Love on a Two Way Street" and "What's Your Name" may be preferred to other songs from more successful acts of the time. This 1974 album finds the group successfully changing with the times and exuding more confidence with their production and singing. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Moments were signed to a small label with one of the worst studios in the business. That fact makes most of this skilled but not sonically sound. That being said, Those Sexy Moments is a good mix of dance tracks and the ballads they were famous for. The breezy, "You've Come a Long Way" tells the tale of childhood through adulthood romance as Harry Ray sings the potentially unsettling "I wanted you then/but you were only five." The slow songs, "How Can I Love You" and "Look at Me" (not to be confused with their hit, "Look at Me (I'm in Love)"), both employ the guitar as sitar trick and have the groups' trademark harmonies. The best songs here are basically solo spots for Ray. The big hit here, the steamy "Sexy Mama," has him singing great lines like, "This afternoon I know you like me/By tonight you're gonna love me." The innovative and melodic "Next Time That I See You" puts the spotlight on his underrated falsetto/tenor. For a group that never seemed to make undeniable albums, this effort has enough individual songs to make this worth looking for.
The Moments – My Thing + 2 (1973)
The smooth voices of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman ring true on ten hit and miss sides. The misses are the filler that comprise half the ten songs; they aren't irritating or ingratiating, just bland tunes with apathetic arrangements. Every artist at All Platinum/Stang Records must have recorded "My Thing"; there are versions by Sylvia, the Whatnauts, and the Moments, at the very least. The song is all right, but did it merit the countless remakes? It flopped as a single, but the flip "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" is much better -- a sad ballad sung in clear falsetto by Billy Brown. Surprisingly, it gets omitted from the many Moments compilation CDs, though it's one compelling number. Harry Ray's reading of "Baby I'm a-Want You" is magical, his light falsetto sparkling on David Gates' classic. Complete with airport ambience, "I Gotta Find a Way" is a charmer; Harry waits and contemplates at the airport about getting his baby back as a female announcer announces flights over a loudspeaker. I like the close, syncopated harmonies on "Look What You've Done," another tasty ballad. Eight of the ten songs are ballads except for "My Thing" and the twee-sounding "Life and Breath."
The Moments - On Top 1971
The Moments – A Moment With The Moments 1970 & The Other Side Of The Moments 1972
Though it's bookended by two of the sweet soul trio's biggest hits, A Moment With the Moments reflects the overall weaknesses in the trio's songs, performances, and most tragically, the sound of any release associated with parent company All Platinum. Harry Ray, a newcomer to the Moments, hits all the high notes on the opener, a cover of the Ink Spots' vocal standard that hit the R&B Top Ten. "Key to My Happiness" is a great buried treasure, firmly in the Motown sound, and "Love on a Two-Way Street" is as exquisite a soul ballad as ever made it to the top of the pop charts. Still, "Lovely Way She Loves" and "So This Is Our Goodbye" are weak filler material, the group straining to get the same pleading in their voice as more popular acts like the Delfonics. The arrangements are effective, and the backing by Willie & the Mighty Magnificents is fresh and inventive, but alas, the sound is sub-standard (par for the course for All Platinum) and even a 2000 CD revamping of the album by Sequel (packaged with The Other Side of the Moments) can't help the weak sound.
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The Other Side of the Moments displays the New Jersey soul trio as a supper-club act, just as a few top soul acts (the Four Tops, the Impressions, the Supremes) had flirted with during the '60s. Why the Moments were attempting to court a more traditional audience during the early '70s is a mystery. The trio doesn't have much trouble with the material, but the arrangements and recording are period curiosities; a nimble electric bass attempts to update the trad strings, but fails every time. The quick pace and intimate delivery for "In the Still of the Night" make for an album highlight, but the group's performances of "What's New?" and "Angel Eyes" sound overripe and tossed-off. This "other side" of the Moments certainly wasn't fooling any Nat King Cole fans out there, and unsurprisingly bombed with soul audiences too, making it one of the group's most uninspired works.
The Moments - Not On The Outside, But On The Inside, Strong! +1 (1969)
Gladys Knight & The Pips - 2nd Anniversary 1975 (Expanded Edition)
This album spawned two Billboard R&B Top Ten singles with "Money" and "Part Time Love." The former is a midtempo cut with a polished texture but contrasted by Gladys Knight's ardent vocals. The latter is a rather short but sweet-tempered ballad. Both peaked at number four with the latter surviving three weeks longer on the charts at 14. "Street Brother" is a blues number featuring an impressive Bubba Knight on lead vocals. The rendition of the Roberta Flack classic "Feel Like Makin' Love" has an urban, blues ambience complemented by the cohesive touch of the Pips. Eugene McDaniels, who produced much of the album, also wrote this vintage number. The songs shine with eloquence and are seasoned with an inviting Southern aura.
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Still Together 1977
When producer/songwriter Van McCoy worked with Gladys Knight & the Pips, he usually did well by the group. It was McCoy who wrote "Giving Up" and "Lovers Always Forgive," two of their best pre-Motown singles of the early 1960s -- and he also proved to be an asset to Gladys Knight & the Pips when he co-produced their 1977 LP, Still Together. To his credit, he knew how to change with the times. His roots were doo wop and early soul, but by the mid-1970s, people associated him with disco thanks to the 1975 smash "The Hustle." So when McCoy was hired to produce Still Together, Knight didn't have to worry about sounding retro. But at the same time, no one would mistake this album for McCoy's club-oriented Disco Baby. Even though he gave the single "Baby Don't Change Your Mind" a certain amount of disco gloss, this is a soul LP first and foremost. Five of the eight songs on Still Together were co-produced (with Charles Kipps), arranged, and written or co-written by McCoy, including "Baby Don't Change Your Mind," the ballad "Walk Softly," and the sentimental "Home Is Where the Heart Is." A few of the selections are excellent, and the rest are at least decent. Still Together isn't among Knight's essential albums, but it's an enjoyable, if mildly uneven, effort that has more plusses than minuses.
Gladys Knight & The Pips - The One And Only 1978 (Expanded Edition)
In 1978, Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded one album as a group in addition to doing some recording separately. That year, Knight provided her first solo album, Miss Gladys Knight, for Buddah/Arista, while the Pips recorded Callin' (their second album without her) for Casablanca. And together, they recorded The One and Only, which didn't go down in history as one of their all-time classics but is a generally pleasant, if unspectacular, soul-pop outing. This LP finds the quartet working with various producers, including Michael Masser, Richie Wise, Tony Camillo, and the Van McCoy/Charles Kipps team. The album's best-known offering is the disco-flavored single "It's a Better Than Good Time," which Knight also recorded as a solo artist in 1978. Other decent tracks range from the vibrant "Come Back and Finish What You Started" (written by McCoy/Kipps) to the ballad "What If I Should Ever Need You" and the exuberant, gospel-minded "Saved By the Grace of Your Love." Nothing on The One and Only is in a class with "Midnight Train to Georgia" or "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)," but none of the material is bad either. Although not essential and not recommended to casual listeners, The One and Only is worth hearing if you're among Gladys Knight & the Pips' die-hard fans.
Gladys Knight & The Pips - All Our Love 1987
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Life 1985 (Expanded Edition)
The final album on Columbia for Gladys Knight & The Pips did reasonably well, getting them three chart hits, but it didn't include any of the anthemic R&B or pop crossover songs they had been landing in the '80s. It was a well-produced effort, and Knight sang with her usual vigor, spirit, and intensity, but nothing seemed to click on the level that Knight And The Pips expected.
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Visions 1983 (Expanded Edition)
Leon Sylvers produced one of the finest uptempo hits Gladys Knight & the Pips ever made in "Save the Overtime for Me." It was the kind of jubilant, celebratory, rousing performance that had marked their best Motown singles, and it put some fresh life into what had become a stagnant group. The rest of this album wasn't that good, but it hardly mattered. They got a follow-up number five single, another chart hit with a third release, and were back in the game.









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