Face to Face

I love her first album and this album I constantly play it everyday and every night while I was in the army.

this one of her best cds.

Evelyn Champagne King's FACE TO FACE was released in 1983 just as La King was coming off a pair of brilliant Kashif produced platinum albums. Kashif is not on board to pen and produce this effort but Andre Cymone and Leon Sylvers are. In many ways, FACE TO FACE picks up where I'M IN LOVE and GET LOOSE left. It can even be said the FACE TO FACE is years ahead of it's time. This album is adult oriented hard hitting R&B, funk and dance music. Evelyn's voice sounds urgent, mature and sexy here as tracks like "Action", "Shake Down" and "Teenager" all became major R&B and Dance hits. "Tell Me Something Good", "Don't It Feel Good", "Givin' You My Love", "Let's Get Crazy" and the title track follow in similar vein. The album is very much oriented towards the dance floor and the aggressive urban feel as there is only one ballad on this release but it's a killer. "Makin Me So Proud" showcases Evelyn's voice perfectly and La King rarely sounded this mature, this sexy and this confident.As is the case with every BBR re-master, this was a job exceptionally well done. It feels like a labor of love. Included here as bonus tracks are the 12" Dance Remixes of "Shake Down" and "Teenager". Both are a welcome addition to the album. Special mention must also be made of the excellent, informative liner notes by Shelly Nicole, which include great interviews and commentary with Evelyn Champagne King, Andre Cymone and Leon Sylvers. The sound is incredible as always with BBR re-masters. FACE TO FACE is a vital part of Evelyn Champagne King's RCA catalogue and it's a welcome addition to any music collector.

Fans of Evelyn "Champagne" King expected another lp produced with Kashif (who was just riding high on his recently released debut lp), but the New York born singer wanted to take a different direction, "out west." Face To Face proved to be a more diverse album with many New Wave and Rock elements blended with funk and soul that was geared more for the youth rather than her grown audience who were use to her sophisticated funk grooves like "I'm In Love," "Love Come Down" and "Betcha She Don't Love You." Many critics thought that Evelyn was trying to fit in with the newly found MTV generation with her different musical focus, but I believe that she was just growing up. Unlike other female R&B singers, the New York artist has the vocals that were cut for those "low rider west-coast-like" jams and those Minneapolis new wave grooves. The legendary Leon Sylvers III and his brother Foster Sylvers produced 5 songs including the Pop/New Wave-like hit "Action" (#16 on the R&B charts) and the out of this world sassy funk jam, "Shake Down" (#12 on the R&B charts). The former also produced an exciting music video that was as diverse as the album, but failed to make impact on MTV, however it managed to be a playlist favorite on WABC's New York Hot Tracks, Rock America, NBC's Friday Night Videos, and BET's Video Soul. The latter song makes it her best song on the album in my opinion(her funkiest song yet). The edited 7 inch versions (found on her greatest hits) for both songs don't do any justice because the long lp versions were funkier, exciting, electriying, satisfying, and on a different class of their own. "Making Me So Proud" was a sultry and satisfying ballad that should have been a single, while "Givin' You My Love" had that classic Dynasty/Shalamar-like sound in mind and also displayed Evelyn's strong vocal points. I classify "Givin' You My Love" as a funkier, sassier, and more grown up sequel to her 1978 disco hit, "I Don't Know If Its Right." Andre Cymone produced four songs including the title cut and the danceable "Let's Get Crazy" and "Don't It Feel Good." The latter two had a different Minneapolis ring that was tailored made for Evelyn (thus, it did'nt sound anything like Prince or The Time, or Vanity 6) while the title track was a high tech mess. The best thing about this album that it was'nt saturated with several different producers with different sounds (like her next 4 albums). It highlighted 3 of the most in-demand black producers each with their own midas touch that was easily crafted for Evelyn's vocals. Leon and Foster Sylvers focused more on the pop/R&B side while Andre Cymone focused more on the Rock/New Wave side that put together (in my opinion) Evelyn's best album besides Get Loose. I believe that this album is enjoyable for all R&B and New Wave fans to listen

Not to worry. Crazy in the context I use it is a very very good thing. So far Evelyn King had this reputation of seeming to always get the best quality of material into her orbit. Also was prone to come up with the musically unexpected. But that's how it goes when your music is directed at the clubs. People are almost always looking for new music to dance to. And new ways to dance to music. And Kings career was at it's peak when there was a whole lot of that going on. Her previous two albums with Kashif in the blockbuster  Im in Love  and  Get Loose  both found her on the cutting edge of boogie,a type of dance-funk music using layers of bass synthesizers as an orchestral element. Now she'd turned to Leon Sylvers and Minneapolis's own Andre Cymone,childhood pal and musical partner of Prince for...yet another part of her continuing journey into the dance. For recognition perhaps the Champagne moniker had been re-added to her name for this album title. At the same time,it's musically a whole different animal for her. From the beginning,it's clear NO ONE would mistaken this for anything she did with Kashif. Especially being 1983 this album is very loud,brash and far harder edged funk than the club oriented dance music she'd tended to specialize in before. Two perfect examples of this are "Action" and the ultra exciting "Shake Down". These songs are a mix of complex electronic chord progressions,a mixture of live and digital percussion and a very tough vocal attitude from King. The title track and "Teenager" are probably as close to new-wave pop as she was going to get with catchy hooks and rhythms that rock more than groove. "Tell me Something Good","Don't It Feel Good" and "Makin' Me Proud" on the other hand are more high octane Minneapolis type funk whereas the closer "Let's Get Crazy" (was Prince influenced a little by this title maybe?) gets right down deep into the groove. In addition to the one ballad "Givin You My Love",the only tune at all similar to her Kashif era sound there are four bonus tracks. The most notable is the 12" version of "Shake Down" with the songs mean electric guitar solo getting strong emphasis. This was very very different than any album she'd ever made before. It didn't possess any of the dance and/or disco elements that signified her "classic" sound as it were. It actually went for showing her versitility at handling a vast array or harder edged funk and new wave type songs. And also put her in the forefront of new developments on the scene such as the Minneapolis sound and early hip-hop as well. Her more personally assertive lyrical stance and often half sung/rapped lyrics here went along with that tougher street edge the album has about it. Personally I think it's a great album. One of her best and most daring. And has stood up quite well too.

I could spot a mastering error in "Shake Down (M&M Dub)" (the track skips at 5:17). This is unacceptable!Moreover, there was room enough on the CD for the inclusion of some more versions (the instrumental/dub versions of "Action" and "Teenager" could have been added).Don't spend your money on this one. Buy the Funky Town Groove release instead.

Crap