Chaka Khan - Classikhan 2004

 

ClassiKhan is the tenth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, Produced and arranged by Eve Nelson and released in 2004 on the at the time still independent label Sanctuary Records in the U.K., on Earthsong/AgU Music Group in the U.S. and in 2005 also in Japan on JVC Victor.

As Allmusic point out in their review, with Khan's well-known affinity and acclaim for interpreting jazz standards in mind, which through most of her career on the Warner Bros. label had been relegated to the backburner, an album with the title ClassiKhan could at first glance very easily be mistaken for being a belated sequel to 1982's Echoes of an Era. While the album indeed does focus on jazz and swing standards like "Stormy Weather", "Hazel's Hips", "Round Midnight" and "Teach Me Tonight" it also features an eclectic selection of classics from other genres, like pop culture favourites such as Broadway show tune "Hey Big Spender" from the musical Sweet Charity, Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" penned by Leiber & Stoller and even a 60's country and western classic in the form of Patsy Cline's "Crazy", written by Willie Nelson. ClassiKhan also features the themes of classic film favourites from Khan's youth, "To Sir With Love" and the James Bond themes "Goldfinger" and "Diamonds Are Forever". The collection concludes with one new composition, the ballad "I Believe", co-written by Khan and the album's producer Ira Shickman.

The title ClassiKhan is naturally also a reference to Khan's accompaniment on the set. On the Echoes of an Era album it was a five-piece all-star jazz ensemble, on ClassiKhan it is The New York All Star Musicians - but with the addition of the full London Symphony Orchestra, conducted and arranged by Eve Nelson and with orchestrations by producer Ira Schickman and Gary Anderson.

The album was mainly recorded at London's legendary Abbey Road Studios and it features guest appearances by among others pianist Joe Sample and percussionist Sheila E., best known for her work with Prince.

ClassiKhan was both a critical and commercial success, even reaching #42 on Billboard's R&B albums chart. As of 2005 it has sold 46,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.