Back when he was with LTD, Jeffrey Osborne had a major hit with "Back In Love Again." He had an incredibly vast vocal range which complemented his funky voice. His lyrics (his elocution was unique) were a bit tough to understand, but if you listened hard and long enough, you were not only hearing him clearly, but you started to speak his dialect.
He had other solo hits with "On The Wings Of Love," and a host of other love ballads. His funkiest was "Stay With Me Tonight," which was a funky pop serenade with a flamingly snappy bass line - unforgettable pops and slides - but his most haunting and somehow lost song was "The Borderlines."
This song has one of the most exciting guitar riffs (with a supporting bass counterpoint) I've every worked up a sweat to. It was truly killer, and was briefly played in all manner of remix by DJs in 1984. This song is like a drug.
Listen. Let it grab you. Feel it build up to multiple climaxes. It creeps up behind you like an assassin, and takes you out. I love this song. You know the formula --- turn up the volume (for an initial stun), crank up the bass, click on the song, and be prepared to go dancing around the room. I suggest that you try this one at the office.
THE BORDERLINES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPfpWNc8ik
And as an added bonus, here's "Stay With Me Tonight" - Another killer song. Just listen to that soulful, crazed voice against that percussive poppy bass. There was, and has never been, another song, or sound, anything like it. When I first heard it, I stopped my car, jumped out into an ice-covered parking lot, and boogied around until I fell, making a total fool of myself in front of a young lady I was dating. Thankfully, she attended to my wounds -- so much so that I was ready to jump and a fall onto the ice again. But that can be our secret.
Crank up the volume, the bass boomers, the over-thrusters, the flux capacitors, photon torpedoes, and click:
Note: Please pardon the loud, mood-busting advertisement that YouTube has inserted prior to the actual performance of the song. We all need coinage.[sigh]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCWYZHYIPyE
A favor to ask: Please forward this article to all of your friends by email and/or social media sharing and tell them to give Jeffrey Osborne a serious listen. He never got what Dazz considers a fair shot -- and we need someone to counterbalance Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Please. Thank you!
- RadioDAZZ
