Face to Face (Bonus)

Album review

The years 1981 and 1982 could be described as Evelyn "Champagne" King's Kashif period. Working with producer/songwriter Kashif on 1981's I'm in Love and 1982's Get Loose, the East Coast singer provided some of the most rewarding and essential albums of her career. But King's Kashif period ended with 1983's Face to Face, which found her restoring the "Champagne" moniker (on I'm in Love and Get Loose, she was only listed as Evelyn King rather than Evelyn "Champagne" King) and working with different producers. The material on Face to Face, which was King's sixth album, was produced by either André Cymone (Prince's former bassist) or the team of Leon Sylvers III, Foster Sylvers, and Joey Gallo, and all of those producers push King in the direction of the dancefloor. Quiet storm listeners aren't exactly a high priority on Face to Face; except for the slow jam "Makin' Me So Proud," this is an exuberant, highly energetic synth-funk/urban album with a lot of dancefloor appeal. And some of these jams incorporate new wave elements. This is true of "Don't It Feel Good," "Let's Get Crazy," and "Givin' You My Love (What Cha Gonna Do with It)," as well as the title song and "Tell Me Something Good" (not to be confused with the Rufus/Chaka Khan hit from 1974). Another tune with new wave elements is "Teenager," which is arguably the best thing on the album and combines that new wave influence with an appreciation of '60s soul-pop; "Teenager" is urban contemporary, new wave, and '60s-influenced all at the same time. And for 1983, it wasn't all that unusual for an R&B artist to be influenced by new wave; that year, new wave was affecting everyone from Prince and the Time to the Pointer Sisters to Shalamar to Nona Hendryx to the Mary Jane Girls. Face to Face (which Funky Town Grooves reissued on CD with four bonus tracks in 2011) is not in a class with King's work with Kashif and wasn't a blockbuster (the album made it to number 24 on Billboard's R&B albums chart). In 1983, some of King's fans were, understandably, wishing that she had continued to work with Kashif. Nonetheless, Face to Face is a generally fun, if uneven, listen even though it isn't among King's essential albums and isn't recommended to casual listeners.
© Alex Henderson /TiVo