JOHNNY KEMP Johnny Kemp
(UK Blue Bird 1985 / 2007)
1) Just Another Lover 2) Can't Get Enough 3) Anything Worth Having 4) Lady In The Shadow 5) Bring
Your Love Around 6) Cover Girl 7) All Night 8) Penthouse Lover BONUS TRACK: 9) Just Got Paid –
Dub Mix
Blue Bird continue their assault on the re-release market with another 80s gem from Johnny Kemp
that has hitherto been criminally overlooked. Hopefully this will start changing. I never expected
such an LP to see light of day on CD, except perhaps Japan so it is with great pleasure that I
can present this CD to you. I was VERY surprised to find that this album had been remastered
from vinyl. I was certain that this was from the master tapes, so good is the love and care
that has been lavished on it. I have always bemoaned the use of vinyl, but having spoken with
a number of folks in the industry I am alarmed to discover that many original tapes have
deteriorated beyond the point of use, and that vinyl has greater integrity, especially paired
up with a) today's superior digital technology and b) someone who has both the equipment
and the love and passion. This is what we have here.
The music, then. Production is directed by the masterful Kashif, and as a result production
is tighter than a camel's bum in a sand storm! The foundations of this album are unashamedly uptempo.
I was, oh, I don't know, thirty seconds into “Just Another Lover” and immediately I was soaking
up the Summer of 1986 all over again. Less said about THAT World Cup final the better, but
there we are! We certainly do not need a punch into the net to score with this album. The
album is so worthwhile for the first song alone. These were the days when R&B artists could craft
uptempo music that was so positive, vibrant and happy. Try and listen to “Just Another Lover”
without tapping your toes. 80s soul puts a spring in my step, and if any track is going to
achieve this, then “Just Another Lover” sure does.
One of my favourite cuts from the superb crop of songs from 1986 was the beautiful
“Anything Worth Having”. The song goes 'anything worth having is worth waiting for. It was
certainly well worth the wait to get this track on CD sounding so fantastic. This was straight
onto Windows Media Player and the iPod I can tell you! Again, if this track was the sole
goody on here I would still have rushed out and bought it. Although Shelley Scruggs and
Alexander Morgan produced “Lady In The Shadow” the sound is so, so Kashif it's unbelievable.
Lovers of his “Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart” will love this song. “Bring Your Love Around”
is another potent brew of all that I love about the 1980s. This cut actually sounds VERY Hush
Productions, so if that's your bag and songs such as Melba Moore's “Underlove” or
Ray, Goodman & Brown's “Good Love” are among your 80s faves, then this groove is for you.
The CD also has a bonus track in the Dub Mix of his 1988 jam, “Just Got Paid”. I fear that
I never did like this track and as time went on I despised the Teddy Riley New Jack Swing
sound even more. This, for me, was to start a decline in quality adult orientated R&B music –
one that continues to this day. That said, thanks to Blue Bird Records we can all step back,
take a deep breath and re-savour a time when R&B was R&B and rhythm and melody ruled the day.
Another essential release and available from
www.funkytowngrooves.com.
Buy this album from our CD Shop