Customer Reviews

Chameleon

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am 25 y.o. this album was made before i was even born. But let me tell you, you will never hear another album like this in your life!. The vocals are beyond description. Sarah Dash's Soprano is out of this world. I've never heard another woman use high notes as soulfully and as powerful as her(except Ms. patti of course. Also this album probably showcases the best of Patti's vocals. Nona's writing is fanatastic, and she serves the sexiest vocals on "man in a trench coat". I must listen to the songs on this album about everyday. This album has made me cry, laugh, and dance! This is a must have album!. It is just so funky and tireless. Forget Destiny's Child, and The Supremes. This is Labelle!

This is my favorite LABELLE CD if only for three of the songs: COME INTO MY LIFE, ISN'T IT A SHAME, AND esp GOING DOWN MAKES ME SHIVER - have you ever heard better, more emotive singing? Patti, Sarah, and Nona really turned it out on this one, their swan song - amazing this album came out some 30 years ago. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Hey guys
I bought this cd while in New York and let me tell you these songs made that city come to life for me. It was the last night i was there and I went to the Virgin megastore to find more music and found this gem and others. I listened to this album first and it just fit with NYC Times Square! I rode the subway back to the hotel and the song Voodoo came on and absolutely fit the atmosphere of the Subway. MAN i repeated that song all night and began to learn the words. Fortunatly the words are printed inside the cd sleeve. THANKS TO WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THAT! So now when I listen to this album all I can this of is Times Square and the subway at night. Can't wait to go back there again and experience more. Thanks Labelle!

Labelle left us with their 6th album exploring new sounds & expanding our minds . These songs & performances will certainly take you on a musical trip. Patti, Sarah & Nona were so inventive and unique, they couldn't figure out what to do next, and broke up just months after this album was released.

Amazing vocals, lyrics, & music way ahead of the rest of the pack. Labelle spread their messages out loud & clear that they could not be contained musically. This album is all over the map. Especially noteworthy is the expansion to a more rock sound with WHO'S WATCHING THE WATCHER? where Patti & Nona trade leads! And all of Side Two on the original album from CHAMELEON , GYPSY MOTHS, Nona's head trip epic A MAN IN A TRENCHCOAT , and the finale GOING DOWN MAKES ME SHIVER are mind and ear altering experiences. Amazing!

This final album opened up the door to their solo careers. But think of what Labelle could have sounded like if they had continued.

Considering that I hear Lenny Kravitz is producing a 32 year delayed follow up to this album for these ladies finding the out of print CD of 1976's 'Chameleon' is one of my happiest suprises recently. What really stands out about this recording is that while Patti LaBelle plays her part in it,she gets a lot of time with the fiercely soulful Nona Hendryx,who would surprise everyone the following year after this with a rock oriented solo album that bombed.But that doesn't stop her,Sarah and Patti from seriously rocking out here on "Who's Watching The Watcher?" which features their always outrageous gospel harmonies on the great lyrics about hypocricy with a sizzling Ray Parker Jr. rock guitar solo.You can bet that LaBelle didn't leave the funkateers out in the dark either with the loud,freaked out funk of "Get You Somebody New" and the only somewhat slower burning groove of "A Man In A Trenchcoat (Voodoo)". Also featured in equal measure are the gospel-soul ballads "Come Into My Life","Isn't It A Shame" and the passionate "Going Down Makes Me Shiver".As with any LaBelle album they always include some fun musical surprises and on "Gypsy Moths" the trio do in a pretty mess of a New Orleans "melting pot" type tune,influenced heavily by the sound of their old producer Allen Toussaint.On the title song a rousing gospel shuffle lead along a pointed lyric about ethnic diversity. So if you happen to find this at a reasonable price and already own their "other" classic Nightbirds then 'Chameleon' is the place you'll need to go next.It is a very significant and musically brillant contribution to the world of contemporary mid 70's Philly soul meeting the R&B and funk of the bayou and New Orleans in general.

This album is the greatest good-bye album any group could put out. Nona's songwriting had reached it's climax and the lyrics with Patti's delivery make this wonderful. The spooky harmonies and swaying style will leave you speechless. Come Into My Life, Isn't It a Shame, and Going Down Makes Me Shiver will make you weep!!

Patti, Sarah & Nona really left us wanting after Chameleon. What a superb album to end their collaboration. The mix between Chameleon and Gypsy Moths is brilliant, soon to be copied by everyone in the music industry. (Labelle was often copied, but never equalled.) Going Down Makes Me Shiver is a masterpiece. Patti outdoes herself vocally, and Sarah's soaring soprano gives you chills. Nona outdid herself writing these songs. The girls rock out on Who's Watching the Watcher. If you were lucky enough to ever attend their concerts, you never saw, or will see, anything like them. Absolutely the hottest female trio ever (sorry Supremes).

What is there to say? Miss Patti (...), Divine Dash, and Naughty Nona work this out in its entirety. While the word "diva" is bandied around with singers who still live at home with their mothers, these ODs (that's Original Divas) completely turn the world, as well as the lisener, on their ear, knocks you on your butt. Every song is a story in itself, and the three act opera (Chameleon, Gypsy Moths, and Voodoo) makes the album an absolute must have masterpiece. I can't stand it! BUY THIS CD!!

Who would have thought that Labelle could top the CLASSIC 'Nightbirds'? But with the powerhouse of Nona Hendryx's amazing & innovative lyrics; the lilting & haunting soprano of Sarah Dash; & of course the dynamo that is Miss Patti Labelle - they soared even higher with 'Chameleon'! You simply can't sit still when hearing 'Get You Somebody New' or 'Who's Watching the Watcher'! You simply can't remain emotionless when contemplating 'Isn't It a Shame' or 'Gypsy Moths'. And you simply can't help having lovely, wicked thoughts when hearing the gems 'Come Into My Life', 'A Man in a Trenchcoat', & 'Going Down Makes Me Shiver'! ... The brilliance of this CD is most apparent in the gorgeous blend from the track 'Chameleon' to the next track 'Gypsy Moths'! (You'll play this part over & over again - it is BRILLIANT!) Get this ASTONISHING CD! Destined to be one of your very, very, very FAVORITES OF ALL-TIME!

This is the finest album of 1976. It rose above the disco drek of the time and was a fine showcase of three incredible, distinct vocalists. Nona Hendryx's finest writing is here with the spooky "Voodoo," and the eerie "Gypsy Moths." Every song here rocks. If you are looking visionary soul/rock delivered by three great voices, look no further.