Whilst the name Miki Howard may be new to you, the gifted
vocaliste is anything but a newcomer. In fact, quite the contrary
because Miki's prior main claim to fame was as lead singer with Side
Effect, a group who were by the critics but whose commercial pedigree
never materialised.
If you've been a funk lover for at least ten years, you will no doubt remember George and Louis as the two brothers who got you out on the dance floor with a string of hits for A&M that included "I'll Be Good To You", "Get The Funk Out My Face", "Ain't We Funkin' Now", "Stomp!" and "Light Up The Night".
FINDING out that Atlantic Starr? whose music has marked them as a real
staple in anyone's black music diet for the past 9 years ? have only
ever had one gold album came as a shock to me when keyboardists
Jonathan Lewis revealed that very information during the course of our
recent interview, held in conjunction with the forthcoming release of
the group's Warner Brothers' debut, "All In The Name Of Love". You
could, as they say, have knocked me down with a pennyfeather ? or some
kind of feather!
OFTEN, when a lead vocalist leaves a successful group, it comes as
surprise to the rest of the world. However, there are usually very
strong underlying reasons that simply didn't come to the attention of
the public. Certainly, that was true of the Lionel
Richie-Commodores and Jeffrey Osborne-LTD
splits. And, to a lesser degree, it's the case in the {safm}Howard
Hewett{/safm}-Shalamar parting of ways.
With "Love Or Physical", a splendid new album for Capitol Records, that perennial love duo Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson are definitely back in gear. After a couple of years absence, during which time the couple (who have been married now for over fourteen years) gave birth to a daughter, Asia, Nick and Val are feeling great about their new product, especially since the first single, I'll Be There For You" is giving them one of their biggest U.S. hits in years.
As his official Geffen Records' bio states, "John White sings with the authority and control of some of R&B's finest vocalists ..." and after listening to the gentleman's debut LP, "Night People", it would be tough to disagree.