NANCY WILSON-KEEP YOU SATISFIED AND FORBIDDEN LOVER.

dereksmusicblog ♦ November 7, 2012 ♦ 1 Comment

NANCY WILSON-KEEP YOU SATISFIED AND FORBIDDEN LOVER.

Some artists almost become synonymous with one label. That was the case for Nancy Wilson. Having released her debut album Something Wonderful in 1960, she spent twenty-four years at Capitol Records, releasing close to forty albums. It almost seemed unthinkable that Nancy Wilson would leave Capitol Records. However, she did, in 1979. Part of the problem was the change in production techniques. When Nancy started out, she enjoyed recording her vocal live, with an orchestra or band accompanying her. Recording this way resulted in some of the best, most successful and memorable music of her career. As her career progressed, producers started recording the musicians first, then adding the vocals later. Any mistakes were sorted later on, with the singer rerecording part of the song. While this new way of working didn’t bother other artists, it wasn’t for Nancy Wilson. She became disheartened, no longer satisfied by the changes in the way albums were recorded and produced. So Nancy and Capitol parted company in 1979. Seven years later, Nancy would return to a major label, Columbia, by which time she was reinvigorated and reenergized, releasing 1986s Keep You Satisfied and 1987s Forbidden Lover, which will be rereleased by SoulMusic Records on 12th November 2012 as a double-album. Before I tell you about Keep You Satisfied and Forbidden Lover, I’ll tell you about Nancy’s journey in search of a producer who like her, worked in an old school way.

Having left Capitol, Nancy went looking for a record company who recorded music old school style. This search took three years. She was in Japan touring, when she met producer Kiyoshi Itoh. He would become ying to Nancy’s yang. Kiyoshi was  producer who liked to work old school style. Nancy’s vocals were recorded live with a band accompanying her. This seemed to reinvigorate and reenergize Nancy, who recorded four albums with Kiyoshi Itoh, The albums were What’s New, Your Eyes, I’ll Be A Song and Godsend, which were released on Toshiba-EMI and Nippon Columbia in Japan. Having been reinvigorated, Nancy headed back to America. Back home, Nancy hooked with a legendary musician and this would result in Nancy signing to another major label.

Once she’d returned to America, Nancy would collaborate with legendary jazz musician Ramsey Lewis. Producing The Two of Us would be another jazz legend, bassist Stanley Clarke. On the release of The Two of Us in 1984, the album was a commercial success. It reached number 146 in the US Billboard 200, number forty-two in the US R&B Charts and number five in the US Jazz Charts. After the success of The Two of Us, Nancy was offered a contract by Columbia Records. So after seven years, Nancy Wilson was back where she belonged, on a major label. Her first album for Columbia would be 1986s Keep You Satisfied.

For Nancy Wilson’s return Keep You Satisfied, she decided to hookup with the producer who reinvigorated her career, Kiyoshi Itoh. Together, they chose an eclectic collection of ten tracks. This saw Nancy revisit tracks penned by artists that ranged from Marvin Gaye, Eugene McDaniels and even Wham. Eugene McDaniels wrote American Wedding Song and cowrote If We Were Lovers. There was a cover of Just To Keep You Satisfied penned by Marvin and Anna Gaye with Elgie Stover. One of the leftfield choices was Careless Whisper, written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgely. Given the song had provided George Michael with a recent hit, this made commercial sense to Columbia. These four tracks, plus six others, were recorded in Japan old style. Nancy’s vocals were recorded live, with a live orchestra and rhythm section accompanying her. On Keep You Satisfied, Nancy fused jazz, soul, pop and Latin music. Would Nancy’s old school album Keep You Satisfied prove commercially successful?

On the release of Keep You Satisfied in 1986, it reached number sixteen in the US Billboard Jazz Charts. Soon, American radio stations were playing tracks from Keep You Satisfied. Two tracks radio stations played were We’ve Got Love and the cover of Careless Whisper, which Nancy transformed from a bland, schmaltzy track into one full of hurt, pain and heartache. So heartfelt is her reading that it sounds as if Nancy had lived and survived the heartache in the song. However, there’s much more to Keep You Satisfied than just two tracks. 

Indeed, the ten tracks on Keep You Satisfied show different sides to Nancy Wilson and her music. Synth strings open Just To Keep You In My Life before Nancy and her band kick loose. Soon, you realize Nancy Wilson is back. Her vocal has matured, grown in strength and stature. Her delivery is thoughtful and heartfelt, and like her band, grows in power and drama. Another of the more uptempo tracks is We’ve Got Love. It features a punchy delivery from Nancy, before she cuts loose, making the song swing. This gives the track a contemporary sound, that twenty-six years, has aged well. For me it’s on the slower tracks on Keep You Satisfied that Nancy really shines.

American Wedding Song sees Nancy drop the tempo, delivering her tender vocal against an understated, subtle arrangement. Early Morning is another slower song, with Nancy and her backing vocalists key to the song’s sound and success. They breath meaning and beauty into the song. Later in Keep You Satisfied, Just To Keep You Satisfied is another of the slower cuts. Nancy’s breathy, sensuous vocal delivered against a quite beautiful, understated backdrop. It’s Too Late has similarities with the preceding track, given its slower tempo and an emotive, impassioned vocal from Nancy. Producer Kiyoshi Itoh has chosen the perfect track to close Keep You Satisfied, If We Were Lovers. While it’s a very beautiful song, one where Nancy’s vocal is tender and melancholy, this emotive song doesn’t have a happy ending. Instead, it’s a case of what if? Given the quality of music and the commercial success of Keep You Satisfied, Columbia were keen to start recording the followup. However, there would be a few changes in store.

For the recording of Forbidden Lover, recording would take place on America’s West Coast, in Los Angeles. Dr. George Butler was brought in to act as executive producer and a crack group of session musicians would play on Forbidden Lover. One thing stayed the same, the producer. Kiyoshi Itoh and his arranger Masahiko Satoh were flown in from Japan to Los Angeles. In LA they met a band that included a rhythm section of drummer Ed Greene, bassist Jimmy Johnson and guitarist Paul Williams Jr. They were joined by percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, trumpeter Jerry Hey and Ernie Watts on reeds. They would record ten tracks, including Don George and Morris Charlap’s I Was Telling Him About You, Leon Russell’s A Song For You plus two tracks from the Andrew Sarnoff and Pat Maiorino songwriting team. This were Deeper and I Never Held Your Heart. When the recording sessions for Forbidden Lover took place, there would be another change.

Unlike Keep You Satisfied, the vocals weren’t recorded with a live band. Instead, Nancy recorded rough takes of the vocal with the rhythm section. Then the strings, horns and backing vocals were added. After that, Nancy recorded her final vocal. This wasn’t the old school style Nancy preferred. Somewhat ironically, Forbidden Love would prove more popular than Keep You Satisfied.

When Forbidden Lover was released, it reached number eight on the US Billboard Jazz Charts. This meant Forbidden Lover had proved more popular than Keep You Satisfied. The only disappointment was that Forbidden Lover didn’t prove more popular in the mainstream. However, it seemed Nancy’s return to a major label was continuing apace. Was Forbidden Lover as good as Keep You Satisfied?

Like her previous album Keep you Satisfied, Forbidden Lover is a mixture of uptempo tracks and ballads, Similarly, Forbidden Lover sees Nancy mix styles, as she reveals a more contemporary sound. Opening Forbidden Lover is I Never Held Your Heart, one of two tracks that feature Carl Anderson. Their voice sit well together, uniting to create a quite beautiful, wistful sounding track. As the track progresses, Nancy’s vocal grows in power, passion and emotion, getting Forbidden Lover off to an impressive start. 

If You Only Knew has a quite different, much more contemporary, uptempo sound. Nancy’s vocal is delivered with a swing, as rasping horns reply to her call. Backing vocalists accompany her, her vocal takes on a sassy, feisty style. Puttin’ My Trust has a real contemporary, R&B sound, where Nancy’s band get the opportunity to showcase their prowess. Their performance seems to spur Nancy on, delivering another powerful, feisty vocal. She kicks loose, delivering one of her best vocals on Forbidden Lovers. It’s like a vocal masterclass, with growling horns and backing vocalists key to the song’s sound and success. You Know sees the contemporary sound continue, complete with a funky rhythm section. Nancy’s delivery veers between soul and jazz, mixing power and passion. On the floaty, mid-tempo What Will It Take This Time, there’s a hint of Anita Baker. During the track, Nancy unleashes a powerful, dynamic vocal, where she puts her full vocal range to good use, mixing drama and emotion. It’s not just the more uptempo tracks where Nancy shines. Quite the opposite.

Similar to Keep You Satisfied, Nancy is at her best on Forbidden Lover on the slow songs. I Was Telling Him About You is one of the best, with Nancy transformed into a storyteller par excellence. Her delivery is slow, spacious and impassioned, growing in power and passion as the song reaches its dramatic crescendo. Deeper is another ballad, where rasping horns and backing vocalists accompany Nancy, as she showcases her heartfelt, soulful delivery. I Never Held Your Heart features one of Nancy’s most emotive deliveries, against a meandering, understated arrangement. Strings reflect the emotion, sadness and regret in Nancy’s vocal as she rolls back the years, drawing on over twenty years experience. The quality keeps on coming on A Song For You, which closes Forbidden Love. It has a wistful, melancholy sound, with just the piano accompanying Nancy. Soon, her vocal grows in power and emotion, as she closes Forbidden Lover with one of its real highlights.

Although Keep You Satisfied and Forbidden Lover may not have replicated the success of Nancy Wilson’s early albums, they had one thing in common..quality. Indeed, the Nancy Wilson you hear on these albums has a much more mature voice, one that’s grown in strength and stature. Not only that, but Nancy can breath life and meaning into a variety of songs. She delivers them in a style that can range from jazzy or soulful, to with a swing or even with an R&B sound. This is something not many other artists can do. They lack the versatility to seamlessly change styles. In doing so, she can deliver a song with a range of emotion. Whether it’s sadness, regret, joy or sass, Nancy Wilson can do all this and more. Maybe leaving Capitol Records was the best thing Nancy Wilson did? By doing this, she met producer Kiyoshi Itoh who helped reinvigorate and reenergize Nancy’s career, resulting in her making a return to a major label. At Columbia, Nancy’s career enjoyed something an Indian Summer, resulting in her releasing Keep You Satisfied and Forbidden Lover, which will be rereleased by SoulMusic Records on 12th November 2012 as a double-album. Both Keep You Satisfied and Forbidden Lover, feature a return to form from one of the most talented female vocalists of a generation, Nancy Wilson. Standout Tracks: Early Morning, Just To Keep You Satisfied, I Was Telling Him About You and A Song For You.

NANCY WILSON-KEEP YOU SATISFIED AND FORBIDDEN LOVER.