Fragile

Another high-end 80s Jam and Lewis soul album, this time from LA vocalist Cherrelle and home to the peerless original version of I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On, a song that in terms of melding machine-generated rhythms with live synth bass playing has rarely been bettered.  J&L’s technique was to lock down a drum machine rhythm, programme some synths and play all the keys and bass parts live, producing precise, exacting grooves that managed to feel organic too. Fragile is a great example of this technique and serves up electric-R’n’B head nodders, creamy-soft ballads and some slick pop moments too. The mournful 808 soul of When You Look In My Eyes does a better job of summing up the music policy of UK provincial night clubs and local radio Friday night soul shows circa 1984 than any documentary could ever do.