CHAKA KHAN-NAUGHTY.

dereksmusicblog ♦ July 3, 2012 ♦ 2 Comments

CHAKA KHAN-NAUGHTY.

After Rufus released their sixth album Street Player in 1978, Chaka Khan decided the time was right to launch her solo career. Her peerless vocals played a huge part in the success of Rufus, resulting four of their albums being certified gold and 1977s Ask Rufus being certified platinum. Chaka’s solo career started where her career with Rufus had ended with another hugely commercially successful album Chaka. It reached number twelve in the US Billboard 200 and number two in the US R&B Charts in 1978. Adding to the success of Chaka was a track that since then, has become synonymous with Chaka Khan, I’m Every Woman. On its release in 1978, it reached number one in the US R&B Charts and number twenty-one in the US R&B Charts. Since then, I’m Every Woman has become a feminist anthem. With such a successful debut solo album, you’d have thought Chaka would head straight back to the studio and record the followup to Chaka? That however, wasn’t the case. While she headed to the studio, it was to record Rufus’ 1979 albumI Masterjam. Billed as Rufus and Chaka Khan, it was certified gold. A year later, Chaka would release her second solo album Naughty. However, could it match the commercial success of 1978s Chaka, or even Masterjam, her final album with Rufus?

For Naughty, ten tracks were chosen for what was the followup to Chaka. Two of these, were written by Ashford and Simpson. These were Clouds, the first single to be released from Naughty, plus Our Loves In Danger. Greg Diamond would write another of the singles, and another track that’s become synonymous with Chaka, Papillon (Hot Butterfly). Chaka cowrote just one track on Naughty, What You Did. It wouldn’t chosen as a single, with Get Ready, Get Set was cowritten by Kathy Anderson, Ellison Chase, Bill Haberman and Art Jacobson chosen instead. Producing Naughty would be Arif Mardin, who’d produced Chaka. 

For the recording of the ten tracks that would become Naughty, Arif Mardin put together a multitalented band. In total, over fifty musicians and backing vocalists would play their part in recording sessions at Atlantic Studios in New York. Some musicians played on one track, others several tracks. Among these musicians were bassist Marcus Miller, guitarists Phil Upchurch, Hiram Bullock and Steve Khan plus drummer Steve Ferrone. They were joined by keyboard player Leon Pendarvis, percussionist Sammy Figueroa and tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker. Backing vocalists included Whitney and Cissy Houston, Luther Vandross and Ullanda McCullough. With the ten tracks the became Naughty recorded, the album was set for release in 1980. Could Naughty match the success of 1978s Chaka?

On the release of Naughty, it reached number forty-three in the US R&B Charts and number six in the US R&B Charts. Although this didn’t match the success of Chaka, Naughty didn’t have a single like I’m Every Woman. Instead, the Ashford and Simpson penned Clouds was the most successful single, reaching number ten in the US R&B Charts. Clouds/Papillon (Hot Butterfly) would reach number thirty-one in the US Dance Music Club Play Charts. The third and final single was Get Ready, Get Set, which reached just number forty-eight in the US R&B Charts. However, although Naughty didn’t replicate the success of Chaka, how good is the music on the album?

Opening Naughty is Clouds, the first of two Ashford and Simpson penned tracks. Pounding drums and keyboards open the track, before cascading strings and soaring backing vocals signal Chaka’s arrival. She picks up where she left of on Chaka. Her vocal is powerful, strong but soulful. Backing vocalists accompany her, while guitars augment the pounding rhythm section and keyboards. It’s noticeable that Chaka’s vocal range in widening. She delivers the lyrics with a mixture of power and passion, accompanied by a band that fuses funk, soul and even rock guitars, with plenty of drama thrown in for good measure.

Like Clouds, Get Ready, Get Set was one of three singles released from Naughty. It’s  track that benefits from a more understated arrangement. The rhythm section, synths and guitars accompany Chaka, whose vocal is softer and subtler. Sometimes, she unleashes her full vocal range, while backing vocalists add understated harmonies. Again, the sizzling guitars soar above the arrangement, matching Chaka stride for stride and note for note. Unlike Clouds, this track has a looser, spacier arrangement, one that suits Chaka’s impassioned vocal.

Jazz-tinged guitars, sweeping strings and the rhythm section create a meandering arrangement, as Move Me No Mountain starts to reveal its hidden depths. Chaka’s vocal starts of heartfelt, much gentler, perfect for the arrangement. That doesn’t mean Chaka won’t demonstrate her full vocal range. Soon, she’s off and running. Her voice soars, while strings cascade as guitars, percussion and the rhythm section combine. Bursts of moody horn give way to an arrangement that bursts into joyously into life. From there, Chaka and her backing vocalists indulge in some dynamic, dramatic vocal interplay. This is just the finishing touch to a track that would’ve made a great single.

A melodic keyboard solo opens Nothing’s Gonna Take You Away, before Chaka’s slow, dramatic vocal enters. The tempo is much slower, with the rhythm section, swathes of strings, percussion and some of the most soulful backing vocals accompanying Chaka. Still the melodic keyboards, jazzy guitars and backing vocals are key to the track, before producer Arif Mardin drops in a sultry saxophone solo. After that, Chaka vamps her way through the rest of the track, competing with the saxophone. Eventually, it wins out, closing the track with its sultry, seductive strains.

So Naughty explodes into life, horns blazing, Chaka’s vocal strong and dynamic, soaring high, while a punchy, funky rhythm section punctuate the arrangement. With a drum roll, things change. A much more understated sounding arrangement arrives. Chaka’s just accompanied by keyboards, guitars and the rhythm section. They’re joined by bursts of blazing horns, while Chaka and her band explore two sides of the song. One minute it’s punchy, dramatic and full or energy, the next much more understated in sound. Backing vocalists accompany Chaka, who throughout the track delivers a vocal that’s sassy and confident, as she and her band fuse elements of funk, soul and jazz flawlessly.

Too Much Love has a very different sound when the track begins. Waves of jagged, rocky guitars assail you, driving the track along. They’re almost ever-present, dominating the arrangement. This is a pity, because Chaka delivers a vocal that’s powerful and impassioned, quite different in sound. Here, her voice is different to the the Chaka Khan we heard on Chaka, due to her range increasing. Throughout the track she’s accompanied by backing vocalists, who compliment her vocal. Percussion, the rhythm section and keyboards replace the guitars, before they make they’re return. They’re then joined by frenzied percussion, that like the guitars, detracts from the arrangement. This could’ve been a much better track, if not for the rocky guitars and frenzied percussion. 

Funky is the best word to describe All Night’s All Right. The rhythm section and guitars combine with blazing horns, playing slowly but funkily. Chaka’s vocal is slow, starting way down low and gradually, soaring high. Punchy, soaring backing vocalists add a soulful side to the arrangement. Fiddles are used, but don’t sit well, their sound grating and out of place. The rest of the band, play slowly, leaving space within the arrangement, which Chaka and her backing vocalists fill. However, by the end of the track, you’re left with the feeling that the track lacks something. Funky and soulful in parts it is, but sadly, It lacks the sparkle of the first five tracks.

After two disappointing tracks, What You Did sees Chaka get Naughty back on track. Again, the arrangement displays a funky side, while Chaka adds the required soul. The rhythm section, guitars, keyboards and backing vocalists combine, as the track meanders along, while bursts of growling horns punctuate the arrangement. Later, another searing, rocky guitar is unleashed. Thankfully, it only makes a brief appearance, with producer Arif Mardin heeding the maxim less is more. Here, it’s Chaka and her backing vocalists who play the biggest part in the track’s sound and success. She mixes power, passion and emotion perfectly and purposely, getting Naughty back on the right road after two wrong turns.

Probably the best known track on Naughty is Papillon (Hot Butterfly) written by Greg Diamond. His version is the definitive version, wonderfully over the top, but Chaka’s comes a close second. Here, she delivers her best performance on Naughty. She’s helped along by her backing vocalists and a truly stunning arrangement. The arrangement literally bursts into life, a wistful harmonica giving way to pounding drums, guitars and keyboards. Then comes Chaka, strutting her way through the track, the interplay between her backing vocalists peerless. Lush strings, percussion, keyboards and later, the addition of a harmonica solo is a masterstroke. It breaths even further energy into the track, as if it needs it. As this hook-laden, joyous classic track ends, you find yourself pressing play again. No wonder, it’s a truly irresistible track from Chaka. Now check out Greg Diamond’s version.

Closing Naughty is Our Love’s In Danger, which Ashford and Simpson cowrote. It has a quality you expect from such a talented songwriting team. Flourishes of keyboards, cascading strings and a pounding rhythm section combine, accompanying Chaka’s frustrated, emotive vocal. Backing vocalists add to the drama of the track, adding some of the best and most soulful harmonies on the album. Similarly, the band are tighter, mixing funk and soul flawlessly. Blazing horns, lush strings, soulful harmonies and a funky rhythm section. It’s all there, with the band raising their game one more time, ensuring Chaka ends Naughty on a real high. Maybe having such a good song to sing and play helped everyone lift their game. It’s just a pity Ashford and Simpson didn’t supply more songs for Naughty.

After a gap of two years since she released her debut solo album Chaka, Chaka Khan returned with the followup Naughty. It didn’t match the success of Chaka, which had featured the classic, anthemic track I’m Every Woman. There was no such track on Naughty, although Papillon (Hot Butterfly) became one of Chaka’s most popular tracks and a staple of her live shows. Ashford and Simpson provided Naughty’s two of the best tracks on Naughty, Clouds and Our Love’s In Danger. While these were the highlights, Too Much Love and All Night’s All Right didn’t have the same quality. Here, Chaka was let down by the production, which just didn’t work and to be kind, grated and lacked sparkle. With two tracks in a row that didn’t work, Naughty was in danger of coming off the rails. Luckily, things improved on What You Did, before finishing on a high with Papillon (Hot Butterfly) and Our Love’s In Danger. Overall, Naughty was two tracks away from being an album that matched her debut album Chaka. What it lacked was a hook-laden single like I’m Every Woman. Obviously, tracks of that quality and stature are one-offs. However, maybe the solution was to hire successful songwriters with a proven track record. Who better than Ashford and Simpson, who’d had long and established track record? They could’ve provided help not just as songwriters but as producers. Maybe then Chaka’s career would’ve taken a different road? Although her fortunes improved with her next album, 1981s What Cha Gonna Do About Me, by 1982 she was collaborating on an album of jazz standards Echoes Of An Era, with jazz musicians including Joe Henderson, Chick Corea and Freddie Hubbard. By 1983, Chaka was back with Rufus, releasing the live album Stompin’ At the Savoy. Then in 1984, Chaka released the platinum selling album I Feel For You. I’ve always wondered whether, if things had been different, with different songwriters providing material for Chaka Khan, whether the huge success she enjoyed with I Feel For You could’ve come earlier. After all, Naughty was only two songs away from being a great album, rather than the good album it was. Standout Tracks: Clouds, Move Me No Mountain, Papillon (Hot Butterfly) and Our Love’s In Danger.

CHAKA KHAN-NAUGHTY.