Lemar Obika, known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show Fame Academy, he was later signed to Sony BMG, where he has gone on to release five studio albums, three of which are certified platinum or double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own bluesy piano playing providing the only instrumental accompaniment. The song's first album appearance was on his 1993 compilation The Hits/The B-Sides. It was later included on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Girl 6. Prince also performs the song on his 2002 live album One Nite Alone... Live!.
"Shoulda Woulda Coulda" is a song by English singer Beverley Knight, released as the second single from her third studio album, Who I Am (2002). Written about the breakup of her long-term relationship because she decided to put her career first, the song became Knight's first top-10 single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and topping the UK R&B Singles Chart.
"If You Come Back" is a song by English boy band Blue, released as the third single from their debut studio album, All Rise (2001). It was written by Ray Ruffin, Nicole Formescu, Ian Hope, and Lee Brennan of boy band 911. The song topped the UK charts for one week becoming their second consecutive number one single release and has received a silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.
"I Promise" is a song from Stacie Orrico's self-titled second album. The third single from the album, it was written by Diane Warren and was released only in Europe, Asia and Australia. The midtempo ballad did not do as well as the first two singles, but gave Orrico her third top 40 hit in the UK.
"Nathan Jones" is a song by American girl group the Supremes from their twenty-third studio album, Touch (1971). It was released on April 15, 1971, as the album's lead single. Produced by Frank Wilson and written by Kathy Wakefield and Leonard Caston, "Nathan Jones" was one of eight top-40 entries the Supremes recorded after its original frontwoman, Diana Ross, left the group for a solo career.
"Freak Me" is a song by American R&B group Silk. It was released in February 1993 as the second single from their debut album, Lose Control. It was co-written and co-produced by Keith Sweat, for whom Silk was a touring opening act. Tim Cameron, Jimmy Gates and Gary "Lil G" Jenkins sing lead on the song. The song was the group's highest-charting hit, reaching number-one on both the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and the U.S. Hot R&B Singles chart for eight weeks. On the Hot 100, this song also spent ten weeks at number two. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over 1.3 million copies domestically.
"Out of Touch" is a song by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates from their twelfth studio album Big Bam Boom (1984). The song was released as the lead single from Big Bam Boom on Thursday, October 4, 1984, by RCA Records. This song was their last Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, topping the chart for two weeks in December 1984. It also became the duo's fourteenth consecutive top 40 hit since 1980.
"Dance (With U)" is the second single released by British R&B singer Lemar and his first for Sony Music UK after coming third place in the BBC show Fame Academy. The single became a hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart in 2003. Elsewhere, the song reached number six in New Zealand and became a top-40 hit in Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands.
"50/50 & Lullaby" is a double A-side single from British R&B singer Lemar. It is his third single and the second single from his debut album, Dedicated (2003). "50/50" contained a sample of Jay-Z's "Can't Knock the Hustle" while "Lullaby" was a track co-written with fellow Fame Academy contestant Ainslie Henderson. The single became Lemar's second top-five hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number five there in November 2003. It also reached number 49 in Ireland the same month.
"If There's Any Justice" is the first single taken from British R&B singer Lemar's second album, Time to Grow (2004). Originally offered to Hear'Say, the song was rejected by the group after they decided it was "too mature" for them. It would eventually become a top-10 hit for Lemar, peaking at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, his fourth in a row to reach the top 10. Outside the UK, the song reached No. 1 in Hungary and entered the top 40 in France, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Time to Grow" is the second single and title track of British R&B singer Lemar's second album, Time to Grow (2004). The single became Lemar's sixth top-10 hit in the UK, peaking at number nine on the UK Singles Chart.
"Don't Give It Up" was the third single and final single taken from British R&B singer Lemar's second album, Time to Grow (2004). Despite the song being remixed for single release, "Don't Give It Up" became Lemar's first song to miss the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart since the release of his debut, "Got Me Saying Ooh", in 2001. The song spent only four weeks within the UK top 75.
"If I Ever Fall in Love" is the debut single by American R&B-soul quartet Shai, released in September 1992 from their debut album of the same name (1992). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1992 and peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart. It spent eight weeks at number two on the Hot 100, which at the time was the second-most number of weeks that a song held the position without topping the chart, behind Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You". The song was also their only top-40 hit in the UK, peaking at number 36.
"Give It Away" is a song by British electronic music group Deepest Blue. It was released on 16 February 2004 as the second single from their debut album, Late September. It gave them their second hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine, while being their most successful single on the Scottish Singles Chart, where it peaked at number five and also reached number 36 in Ireland.
"Take Me Away" is a song by Swedish record producer StoneBridge featuring Swedish singer Therese, released as a single on 17 January 2005. "Take Me Away" peaked at number eight in Finland, number nine in the United Kingdom, number 21 in Ireland, and also charted in Australia, the Netherlands, and Sweden. In the United States, it peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart.
"Curtain Falls" is a song by English boy band Blue. The song was co-written by the band and StarGate, who produced the track. Stevie Wonder is also credited as a writer due to the sampling of his 1976 song "Pastime Paradise". "Curtain Falls" was released on 8 November 2004 as the first single from Blue's first greatest hits album, Best of Blue (2004). It was the only song from the album released as a official single in the United Kingdom.
"Be Alone No More" is the debut single by British R&B vocal quartet Another Level, released on 16 February 1998. It is from their eponymous debut album (1998), and features American rapper Jay-Z. The song was written by Steven Dubin, Andrea Martin and Ivan Matias. In 1999, it was released a second time in remix form together with a cover of the Simply Red song "Holding Back the Years". The two releases peaked at number six and number eleven in the UK respectively. Several UK garage remixes were also released, such as the 'Dubmonsters Mix' and 'Another Groove Mix'. The latter is a mashup with Double 99's "RipGroove".
"Plug It In" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx featuring American singer JC Chasez. It was released on 29 March 2004 as the third single from their album third studio album, Kish Kash (2003), and debuted at its peak of number 22 in the United Kingdom the following month. The song also charted in Australia and Ireland, reaching numbers 43 and 45 respectively. There are various versions of the song, including a radio edit which was featured on the duo's first greatest-hits album, The Singles (2005).
"Nobody Better" is a song by American singer Tina Moore. The original version of the song appears on her 1995 self-titled debut album. Like her previous single "Never Gonna Let You Go", a 2-step garage mix by Kelly G was released on the Delirious label in 1997. It was a top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1998. Single formats also include another garage remix by Dem 2, 'Dem 2's Luv Unlimited Mix', and an R&B remix by Blacksmith.
