High Inergy On Patrol (1983)

High Inergy On Patrol (1983)

High Inergy - Groove Patrol (Motown 1983)

Although High Inergy never really achieved the mainstream success that had been forecast for them, they continued to record and release albums regularly for the better part of a decade. Groove Patrol would not only be their last, but would also give the band their highest chart position since 1978. Released in the first half of 1983, Groove Patrol inevitably capitalized on the burgeoning new wave movement, as the band swapped their disco grooves for synthesizers and that ineffable early-'80s drum sound. The problem so many bands -- High Inergy included -- had with utilizing that formula is that unless you were a true visionary, the resulting songs often sounded like insta-pop: canned, flat, and lifeless. That said, this set isn't terrible; it's just not stellar. The trio, always of good voice, had more than mastered their vocal chops by this time and the result on that front is strong. But even the presence of Smokey Robinson on two songs doesn't make it sound like they are having much fun at the party. But that certainly doesn't mean there aren't standouts. The band is best heard on the fairly gutsy and fully new waved "He's a Pretender." "Groove Patrol" and a cover of the Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again" are also strong and have an edgy soul sensibility. But both suffer because they also sound like so many other great songs that the end result is distracting. Groove Patrol was quickly lost in the quagmire of releases of the early part of the decade, and like so many others of the era, in trying to bridge two very different decades, it fell quietly away. (All Music Guide)

1 Dirty Boyz
2 Rock My Heart
3 He's a Pretender
4 Groove Patrol
5 Blame It on Love
6 Back in My Arms Again
7 So Right
8 Just a Touch Away

High Inergy - Groove Patrol (1983)

Finished Touch (Motown) 1978

Finished Touch - Need To Know You better (1978)

According to member Kenny Stover, Finished Touch wasn't really a group at all, just a bunch of guys and gals signed to songwriting contracts with Jobete Music (Motown Records publishing wing) that somebody decided to assemble as a studio group to give life to some of the songs the members wrote. Finished Touch's lineup consisted of Stover, Harold Johnson, Michael McGloiry, Larry Brown, and Brenda and Mike Sutton. Their only LP, Need to Know You Better, dropped July 1978, a month prior to the single "Stick n' Stones" b/w "Strokin.''" The LP's ten songs came from the group members' in various combinations or individually.
Stover's "I Love to See You Dance" (Mot-1449) a funk piece that would have hit bigger had Motown shown any interest. Their third single was the same as the second (?) but with a different flip, "Trying to Keep the Habit" (Mot-1453), a Larry Brown/Terri McFaddin tune. Three good singles, but high chart success eluded them.Motown shelved a second album. Finished Touch recorded some good sides even if they weren't a group in the truest sense of the word. (All Music Guide)

01 Need to Know You (Better)
02 I Love to See You Dance
03 Trying to Kick the Habit
04 Dancin' On
05 Sticks and Stones (But the Funk Won't Never Hurt You)
06 New Frontiers
07 Sunshine Love
08 You Dance into My Life
09 Mighty Good Friends
10 Stroking

Finished Touch - Need To Know You Better (1978)

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

High Inergy (1977) 1st album

High Inergy - Turnin' On (1977)

High Inergy was discovered by Gwen Gordy Fuqua while they performed in their native Pasadena, CA, during a Bicentennial show. The group was comprised of lead singer Vernessa Mitchell, her sister Barbara Mitchell, Linda Howard, and Michelle Martin. (The Mitchell sisters were singers, Howard and Martin had dance backgrounds.) Signed by Motown in 1977, they immediately clicked on the pop and soul charts with the sultry ballad "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)," which was the cornerstone of of their debut album, Turnin' On (1977). But after the follow-up album Steppin' Out, (1978), Vernessa Mitchell left the group to concentrate on gospel music and Barbara took over lead singing chores on subsequent albums. But after struggling for several years without another major hit (or even name recognition), the group quietly disbanded in 1983. Turnin'On, the first (and best) of their albums, before inferior songwriting and unsympathetic production sabotaged their promising career. The hit single, "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)," is the focal point, along with some good, if not necessarily distinctive numbers to fill it out. (All Music Guide)

01 Love Is All You Need
02 You Can't Turn Me Off
03 Some Kinda Magic
04 Searchin'
05 Ain't No Love Left
06 Let Me Get Closer To You
07 Save It For A Rainy Day
08 Could This Be Love
09 High School

High Inergy - Turnin' On (1977) DOWNLOAD

Monday, December 31, 2007

High Inergy (1978) steppin out

High Inergy - Steppin' Out (1978) DOWNLOAD

Steeped in Berry Gordy's Motown tradition and touted as the next Supremes, High Inergy had already tasted the top of the charts with their 1977 debut, which spawned the number two hit single "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)." Clearly, Steppin' Out was designed to reach even higher. Packed with smooth vocal arrangements that occasionally do resemble the artistry of the Supremes crossed with a disco-pop sound, the album flipped between dancefloor steppers and soul ballads. The formula was there for success, but luck was not on High Inergy's side. The album just cracked the Top 20. The songs themselves are good, if a bit bland. "Lovin' Fever" is sweet and, despite its disco groove, easily recalls the innocence of love in true Motown style. "You Captured My Heart," on the other hand, is a sophisticated, sultry number with excellent vocals and even better instrumentation completing the mood, as horns and guitar provide a smattering of funk. "We Are the Future," meanwhile, despite gracing the film Almost Summer, feels like celluloid filler, and "Fly Little Blackbird" falls by the wayside. Steppin' Out is a respectable album, but remains uneven across its tracks despite some really special moments. It is the sound of a band learning to find a niche. (All Music Guide)

1 Lovin' Fever
2 Hi!
3 You Captured My Heart
4 Didn't Wanna Tell You
5 Every Time I See You I Go Wild
6 Fly Little Blackbird
7 Beware
8 We Are the Future
9 Peaceland

Motown - High Inergy - Steppin' Out (1978) DOWNLOAD