Customer Reviews

Chaka Khan

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hate to brag but I have this on cd and it is one of my all time favorites!!! Incredible cd!! Why is it that Chaka's best grammy winning album is out of print?? Reissue with the tearin it up remix!!

It's difficult to fault any of Khan's work,with and without
Rufus but "Chaka Khan" is just incredible.The wide-open production is loaded with brittle synths and beats and Chaka has
never sung more ferverantly.The opener "Tearin' it Up" sets the tone for the rest of this set,as does it's closer "Pass It On"
and everything in between wins out.Of particular note is Chaka's
invention of "cowgirl funk" on "Best In The West"-complete with
a shotgun blast to welcome you to the show.But most impressive is
the "Be-Bop Medley"-Chaka Khan and Arif Mardin lay out a long bass
and vocorder-whipped groove over which Chaka sings,scats and jitters her way through a medly of 40's jazz standards with a great beat.Hard to believe this was 1982 and that such naked
ambition was then considered so cool,but it was.Sophisticated music you can get down to-what more can one say but Chaka Khan!

I just listened to this on vinyl. It's amazing. It goes from a hot dance track ("Tearin' It Up") to a crisp duet with Rick James ("Slow Dancin'") to another cute dance number ("Best In the West") to a beautiful version of "Got To Be There." When originally released, I bought the single of "Got To Be There" after catching one of its all-too-few plays on the radio. It blows all other versions away, and makes Michael Jackson's rendition sound like the mere novelty it was probably always intended to be (he was too young--then--and too immature--still--for the song).

The second side opens with the ambitious "BeBop Medley" of stuff I'd mostly never heard of. Not many vocalists, R&B or otherwise, could pull off something like this on their records (Natalie Cole comes to mind as an exception). It swings, it sways, and it's not pretentious as the list of songs on the album cover had me fearing. Proof that Ella was still influential into the mid-'80's. The rest of side two is also fine.

As I type this, "Chaka Khan" is out of print on CD. Too bad, as I looked this up to check on its availability. Hopefully it will be reissued soon. It wasn't Ms. Khan's most popular album but it may be her best.

Chaka Khan is still,even today in the UK,so underrated...which is a shame because she is so consistently proving herself with every album release,never resting on her laurels,always pushing forward and through.
This is the album which introduced me to her talents as a youth.
I was mesmerised by her focussed vocal dexterity and her use of words...the way she made them fit into the music in an always unique and fascinating way...she cant JUST sing,she is a well-heeled vocal technician too,often arranging the vocal phrasings herself(listen to 'Got To Be There')Listen how she gets incredibly sassy and sexy at just the right moments on 'Slow Dancin'-thats not just singing,thats feeling the moment and the emotion of the lyric to the ultimate and its just that which keeps Chaka head and shoulders above all her contemporaries-vocal dexterity and passion of delivery,she keeps you hooked on every syllable,true artistry of the hghest degree.
I can also verify its for real,not just on recordings but also live in concert.I was lucky enough to see her live in Manchester UK in 1986 and the show just blew me away.
When she asked for requests towards the end of the show,i shouted out 'Dont Go To Strangers',she asked me my name and then said,"Steve,this is just for you,'Don't Go To Strangers'.." and then launched into the song whilst still looking me straight in the eye....my breath was elsewhere....
For me Chaka Khan will always be the epitome of a true vocal talent...spectacularly able...quite simply amazing.....
This album is the one which holds most of my memories of 'finding' her....I'm so thankful that i did.......
NOW WHEN CAN WE HAVE IT ON CD??????????????????????????????????

Hello this album is the second best chaka has ever done, the first best being 'whatcha gonna do for me'. play 'got to be there' LOUD!!! and if you have 'whatcha gonna do..... play 'we can work it out' loud!!! this album should be available on cd without a doubt. i've got every other chaka and rufus albums on cd but not this one, only vinyl, and i need it!!!!!!

It is a shame that so far this excellent, amazing album has not been re issued on CD.
Hey, Majors, please review your catalogues to re discover your gems !

I was browsing through all the CK albums available and enjoyed the other two reviews of this album. This is just a quick and spontaneous shout out. I just want to say I own over 1,000 CD's from many genres and this is simply, I think, the best one I own...definitely a "desert-island disc" if there ever was one. You know, the music you would take if your were stranded forever on a desert island.
I Love Everything About This Album. Songs, production AND CHAKA! The initial single was "Got to be There" and it is just a gem and a half. For a real throwdown, however, there is the opening track "Tearin' It Up" and it really does tear it up.
If you can find this album JUMP ON IT...believe it or not I got mine in a little used CD shop for $4.99 and it's the Japanese Import version. It's the same as the US release but it's kinda fun to see the liner notes in 2 languages.

This little album from 1982 wasn't the big hit that it's follow-up was (1984's "I Feel For You"), but it did fairly well and won her two Grammy's to boot, so why it's out of print everywhere is beyond me.. There's not one bad track on here.. The entire album was produced by Arif Mardin (Aretha, Dusty Springfield, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack and most recently - Norah Jones), who always knows how to bring out the best in Chaka, and get the right amount of funk, pop, jazz and soul in the mix..

The first single "Tearin' It Up" co-written by Philly soul man Bunny Sigler (the tight, busy arrangement has his signature all over it) didn't exactly set things on fire, but a remix by famed DJ Larry Levan got it some club play.. "Slow Dancin'" is a smouldering groove with 80s Superstar Rick James on board.. "Best In The West" has got to be one of the best Chaka tracks that never hit, this probably would have been a better first single.. She also serves up a great, soulful cover of the Jackson Five's "Got To Be There" which shows off a much more softer side to her voice.. The "Be-Bop Medley" is also a treat, showing off her jazz improvisational skills on tunes by Theolonius Monk, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie among others .. "Twisted" is another great, hypnotic 80s groove record..

Overall "Chaka Khan" is an excellent, consistent record. It's one of those albums that has great songs, but perhaps few that would have made great singles... It's definitely one album that fans shouldn't be without.. Perhaps not the best starting point, but if you already love Chaka, give it a try.. (4.5 stars)

This third solo album from Chaka Khan and producer Arif Mardin can be described as simply....Inspiring. The musical arrangements were crisp and innovative;check out "Bebop medley","slow dancin" and "Best in the west."

The vocals;awe-inspiring listen to chaka's range and how she works so hard against herself on tunes such as "Gotta be there","slow Dancin",and "Twisted." For someone who didn't grow up in the church,Khan proves time and time again that she is probably the most gifted innovative singer on the music scene with the exception of the Queen of soul.

This disc is a classic from start to finish. And just like "Whatch Gonna Do For Me",it sounds like Arif Mardin was having a blast playing with Ms Khan's voice. Even today,some 22 years later, the disc is timeless,priceless,and is a true epiphany to those who have never heard it or "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me! One listen and you'd think that the other female vocalists were only....."just kidding!"

All I will say is if record labels are wondering why they are failing, here is one reason. They ignore what the people want. There is no reason to NOT release a cd version of this brilliant recording by the Queen of funky soul. I still have this on vinyl, but rarely hear it. It had it transferred onto CD, but it doesn't have the quality of sound I would like. Thus I am deprived of some of the best work of CK. This is a shame, because Chaka went out on a creative limb and produced one of her most diverse records of her career. Tearin' It up, Slow Dancing, Got To Be There, Twisted, Best in the West, Pass It On & Be Bop Medley...Did I miss anything? Incredible musicianship and vocals. Warner Brothers: Do the Right Thing! Take this and any CK rarities out on the vault. Money could be made on your end. WE ARE STILL WAITING!!!!