Reimagination by Lamont Dozier - Album Out Soon

I'm afraid it looks like a load of old tosh - Cliff Richard for goodness sake!

I have no idea who the target market is, because it had little or no appeal to a soul music fan.

Cliff Richard, what a joke, why the hell is LD associating with a musical loser like Harry Webb? Gobsmacked.

 

Tim.

Cliff recently recorded an album of soul songs, so with this "tribute" he gains entry. Dozier has form here, having also worked with Phil Collins on his "Inside Seduction" album from 1991, and Phil had a hit with "You can't hurry love".

Just in case you missed it, Cliffy's soul album featured some very heavy hitters:

 

From allmusic.com:

Recorded in Memphis with Motown songwriting legend Lamont Dozier, Cliff Richard's first studio album since turning 70, Soulicious, may seem an unlikely new direction for a singer synonymous with old-fashioned rock & roll and schmaltzy Christmas ballads, but having previously released 1998's R&B-themed Real as I Wanna Be and singing duets with the likes of Janet Jackson and Dionne Warwick, it's not as radical a departure as you might think. Unfortunately, despite its credible behind the scenes team and an impressive guest list featuring some of the genre's greatest vocalists, the follow-up to his big-band effort, Bold as Brass, lacks the soul needed to justify its bombastic title. Indeed, having recruited the likes of Billy Paul, Candi Staton, and Percy Sledge, it's a shame that their legendary talents are wasted on karaoke renditions of Heatwave's "Always and Forever," Womack & Womack's "Teardrops," and James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet," respectively, while it's hard to see where the likes of the driving pop/rock ballad "Saving a Life," the falsetto-led synth pop of "Every Piece of My Broken Heart," the completely unexpected Lady Gaga pastiche, "Don't Say You Love Me (It'll Ruin My Day)," and the acid house grooves on closer "Birds of a Feather" fit in with the soul music concept. However, there are several more encouraging results spread throughout these 15 tracks. The New Stylistics' collaboration "How We Get Down" echoes the smooth Philly soul of the original five-piece in their '70s heyday; "She Looked Good" is a toe-tapping slice of infectious, brass-fused, soul-pop featuring the uplifting harmonies of Dennis Edwards and the Temptations, while "Are U Feeling Me?" is a gentle, string-soaked ballad which recalls the glossy '80s soul of its featured vocalist, Deniece Williams. It's admirable that having entered his eighth decade, Richard is still willing to explore new avenues, but having assembled a roster of artists most soul aficionados could only dream of, Soulicious' lack of focus and disappointingly flat production means it's hard to shake the feeling that he's wasted his opportunity to add another string to his bow.

Didn" t Cliff cut some straight gospel LPs in the 80s too ?

Cheers Paul

Got a notification from Amazon about Lamont's new album. Also included, and giving some idea of how clever marketing people see Lamont's album pitching:

Various Artists, "Smooth Rock" 4CDs, 80 soft rock, MOR and yacht rock classics

Graham Nash, "Over the years"

Various Artists, "Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin" (featuring Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, Queens of the Stone Age...)

Phosphenes, "Find us where we're hiding" (nope, me neither).

Click on the link to Lamont's album and underneath the main item there's an entire row of albums by Cliffy, including "Soulicious". Below that, a row of albums bought by customers who also bought Lamont's album, including "Smooth Rock" and the Graham Nash album, alongside the Temptations' "Masterpiece", Marcus Miller's new album and a Barry White collection.