New Discoveries - The Loni Gamble Band featuring Lisa Warrington, “I Like The Way You Do It (Tom Noble Edit)” (1983/2010)
Got another earworm for ya…try getting the “don’t stop, keep takin’ me higher” break from this song out of your mind once you’ve heard it…you’re welcome.
New Discoveries - Lincoln Olivetti & Robson Jorge, “Aleluia” (1982)
The manic nature of 80s Boogie combined with the manic nature of Brazilian music in general produced an explosion in this song (especially the hyperactive horn breaks).
New Discoveries - Gwen Guthrie, “Padlock” (1983)
I’ve been a fan of Gwen Guthrie ever since hearing her insanely catchy 1986 hit “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But The Rent.” I never heard this song until this year, which, according to wikipedia, was recorded in 1983 but didn’t become popular until 1985. I had always assumed she was British because her songs always seemed to have been bigger in the UK than in North America. Turns out she was from New Jersey, worked with Ashford and Simpson, and was called the Queen of the Paradise Garage after a string of club hits. I also didn’t know that she’d sadly passed away in 1999 at age 48.
New Discoveries - Candi Staton, “Victim” (1978)
Very surprised that I never heard this 1978 song until this year - that it wasn’t on any of the many disco compilations I’ve owned and listened to over the years is a strange omission. It’s a classic, with the unforgettable recurring line “I’m a victim of the very songs I sing.” Autobiography in the form of lines from prior songs. The strangely cheerful yet melancholy chord change of the main part is also another reason I’ve gone back to this track again and again.
New Discoveries - Slave, “Just A Touch of Love” (1979)
I mostly know Slave through the ATCQ-sampled track “Slide” (1977). This is from a later, smoother version of the same group. Around the four-minute mark is where it really kicks into high gear for me. Steve Arrington, whose later work I also greatly admire, was involved in the group at this point.
New Discoveries - Gloster Williams and Master Control, “No Cross, No Crown” (1979)
Early 80s gospel was on a roll and this storming track is one of the gems of the genre. The extended outro beginning at 3:32 is one of the biggest earworms ever to make its way through the earth of my brain.In many ways, the video for “Uphill Battle” is representative of the entire attitude behind the new album from Marker Starling (aka Chris A Cummings), Rosy Maze. Cummings has been a mainstay in Tor…
Marker Starling, formerly known as Mantler, and real name Chris A. Cummings, is unveiling his new visuals for latest track “Uphill Battle” on Best Fit.