Midnight Lounge Jody Watley

Midnight Lounge
by Jody Watley

Guide Rating -

As I turn 30 this year and officially lose the chance to ever be referred to as young or chicken again, I think about what happens to our cherished dance divas as they fade from the spotlight. Sure, our girls get a few years as stars and a few major pop hits, but outside of a few (Cher, Madonna) most end up becoming featured vocalists on indie label club records in hopes of staying booked. So in listening to Jody Watley's charming new album it is a refreshing change to see one of clubland's true visionaries release a mature-sounding and fully-realized album. The title track "Midnight Lounge" sets the vibe, starting a bit restrained and mellow but growing in urgency as the song (and album) progresses. Covering "Don't Give Up," which has been sung previously by Peter Gabriel with both Sinead O'Connor and Kate Bush, is a gutsy move which Jody pulls off with an enchanting soulful vocal interpretation and a really saxy jazz/house groove backing her up. Filling out the album, she freely experiments with jazzy arrangements and live instrumentation (Love to Love) and even dabbles in jungle (More), hip-hop (Clouds), and broken beat (The Essence) to accent the straight ahead groovy house provided by King Britt, Ron Trent, and Masters at Work which lovingly accents this wonderful album.