Aurra

Aurra started off in 1979 as an offshoot of the funk band Slave.^[2] Steve Washington ^[3] first conceptualized the project, which also initially featured fellow former Slave members Curt Jones, Starleana Young, and Thomas Lockett.^[2][4] By the time they recorded their first LP, the lineup also included Charles Carter and Buddy Hankerson. Aurra initially signed with Dream Records, and then Salsoul Records. Composer/keyboardist Philip Field, known for his work as a member of Mtume, subsequently joined the lineup.

During the early 1980s, the group found success with hits such as "Are You Single" (number 16 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart), "Checkin' You Out", and "Make Up Your Mind", the last of which became the group's biggest US hit under the Aurra moniker - reaching number six on the R&B chart and number 71 on the pop chart.^[5] The group continued to release albums up through the 1985 release Like I Like It; this album was released as Bedtime Story in the U.S. that same year. A revamped version of Like I Like It, featuring an updated cover, was released in Europe in 1986 to include the new single, "You and Me Tonight", along with remixed versions of other tracks from the original album. "You and Me Tonight" reached number 12 on the British charts that year.

By the time Like I Like It was re-released, several group members were at odds with Steve Washington. Legal issues with Washington over the name Aurra led to the duo of principal members Jones and Young breaking away and beginning to record under the name Déjà.^[1] In 1987, they released their Virgin Records debut as Déjà, Serious, which was produced in large part by the Time member Monte Moir. Featured on this album was "You and Me Tonight," from the group's Aurra days, introducing American audiences to the song for the first time. "You and Me Tonight" charted in the upper reaches of the US Billboard R&B chart (peaking at number 2) and crossed over onto the pop charts, where it peaked at number 54,^[7] making it the highest-charting single from any Aurra-associated group. Meanwhile, Starleana Young decided to leave to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mysti Day in time to record Déjà's follow-up album.^[8] The resulting album, Made to Be Together was released in 1989, with the Teddy Riley-produced title track becoming a minor R&B hit.

In 2013, Family Groove Records recovered the lost tapes for the unreleased '5th' Aurra album Satisfaction, originally recorded in 1984. The direction of the album was supervised by Steve Washington, Amuka Kelly (also known as Sheila Horne Washington), and Daniel Borine. In 2015 Family Groove Records released "Body Rock" album.^[10]

In 2019, Aurra's second album as Déjà, the long out of print Made to Be Together was released to digital and streaming platforms.

BODY ROCK 2015

SATISFACTION 2013

LIKE I LIKE IT 1985

LIVE AND LET LIVE 1983

A LITTLE LOVE 1982

Having created a stir with their debut, this eminently funky R&B combo was now ready to light the sky on fire. All fat bass and liquid guitar riffing, A Little Love was a nice combination of dirty and sweet, ballad and body-shaker. It was a smart concoction; the LP would give the band a Top Ten hit, while "Make up Your Mind" emerged a popular opener in its own right, giving Aurra their highest-ever chart hit. And it's no wonder. Among the best songs the duo ever recorded, "Make up Your Mind" was a complex slab of funked-up disco augmented by a superb classic rock guitar solo from Steve Washington, sandwiched within a fat bassline. But Aurra didn't let it go with that. "A Little Love" itself is a sweet song with a ferocious bite, the intro unleashing a heavy hook before the rest of the show, while "Thinking of You" remains the LP's best ballad. Stronger across some tracks than others, A Little Love is ultimately an uneven effort. However, when Aurra is in top form they are truly outstanding, and this LP is worth having because of that.

SEND YOUR LOVE 1981

A sextet, Aurra featured the vocals of Starlena Young and Curt Jones. Originally released in 1981, none of the set's nine cuts come in under four minutes, but then there are no nine-minute workouts either. The reggae-influenced "Kingston Lady" and their disjointed, disco hit "Are You Single" are the most memorable selections. Every song is pleasant, but often indistinguishable from the rest; if your mind wanders you have to consult the track listing to check what tune is playing and which one you just heard.

AURRA 1980

For Slave fans, the release of spin-off group Aurra's self-titled debut in 1980 was a major event. While Aurra isn't the group's most essential release and wasn't their most commercially successful --1981's Send Your Love was the Aurra album that boasted the hit "Are You Single?" -- it's a solid funk/soul outing that has Slave written all over it. Indeed, the strong Slave influence is impossible to miss on such addictive cuts as "Who Are You," "When I Come Home," and the single "In the Mood (To Groove)." Those who had appreciated the rock influence in some of Slave's material should have no problem getting into "Too Much," a funk-rock gem that, in an ideal world, would have been a hit single. In 1980, however, "Too Much" stood little chance of finding radio airplay because it was too rock-minded for black radio and too funky for AOR programmers. The most disco-flavored song on the LP is "Got to Get My Lady Back"; while Slave and Aurra's albums generally had more to do with funk and R&B than disco, this Shalamar-inflected item was clearly aimed at the disco crowd. Aurra wasn't a chart buster, but among Slave's more hardcore devotees, it earned a lot of respect.