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| Released | 1980 | |||
| Length | 39:09 | |||
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La Toya Jackson is the 1980 debut album from American singer-songwriter La Toya Jackson. It was released in America and mainland Europe. The album is most known for "Night Time Lover", a track produced by La Toya's brother Michael Jackson, who provides background vocals on the refrain.
In order to distinguish herself from her famous brothers, The Jacksons, La Toya only wanted her first name on the album. "I begged just to have it 'La Toya'. But my father said, 'It's your last name. You got to use it.' But I wanted to see what I could do as an individual." [1] The album was re-issued on CD in Japan in 1992. A successful petition was gathered by her fans at ChurchofLaToya.com to persuade the label, Cherry Pop, to re-release her debut album on CD for the first time in the UK. It was re-released on May 22, 2006.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Billboard | (favourable) [3] |
| The Evening Independent | (favorable) [4] |
Billboard noted that "the pretty younger sister of the singing Jacksons debuts here with a well-produced set of crossover pop soul. The mix of tempos complements Jackson's versatile style...her singing, especially on some of the subdued ballads, conveys much soul." [5]
Cashbox stated that "The Jackson's little sis' has gladly received the help of such L.A. area heavies as Stevie Wonder, Ray Parker, Patrice Rushen and brother Michael guide her through that crucial debut release. Via superb coaching and backing from some strong session players, La Toya's little girl voice should become a B/C radio staple. Lots of strong cuts on the disc, but the songs produced by Michael Jackson, "If You Feel The Funk" and "Night Time Lover" are the most infectious." [6]
In its review, The Evening Independent said that Jackson has "an attractive, pleasant voice that is mature and controlled." [4] Allmusic said Jackson "has an obvious enthusiasm for the songs that comes through consistently. That factor, along with the strong cast of musicians and some memorable tunes, makes this an overall enjoyable set." [7]
The album peaked at #116 on the Billboard 200, [8] #26 on the Billboard Top Black Albums chart, [9] and #178 in the UK. It spawned two singles: "If You Feel the Funk" and "Night Time Lover".
"If You Feel the Funk" performed modestly on the charts, narrowly missing out on the Billboard Hot 100 at #101. However, it peaked at #17 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart and #40 on the Billboard R&B chart. It also reached #42 in Germany and #18 in the Netherlands. "If You Feel the Funk" was also released as a 12" single in the United Kingdom where it failed to chart. The follow-up single, "Night Time Lover" failed to generate attention, despite brother Michael singing on the track (who was at the time generating critical and public acclaim for his album Off the Wall ). It peaked at #59 on the Billboard R&B chart.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If You Feel the Funk" | Dorie Pride, Kamau Peterson | Ollie E. Brown | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Save Your Love" | Carolyn Johns, Larry Farrow | Larry Farrow | 3:47 |
| 3. | "My Love Has Passed You By" | Dorie Pride, Kamau Peterson | Ollie E. Brown | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Are You Ready?" | Billy Ocean, Ken Gold | Ollie E. Brown | 4:44 |
| 5. | "Night Time Lover" | La Toya Jackson, Michael Jackson | Michael Jackson | 3:44 |
| 6. | "A Taste of You (Is a Taste of Love)" | Ernie Smith, Greg Perry, Terry Harrison | Ollie E. Brown | 4:27 |
| 7. | "Lovely Is She" | Janet Jackson, La Toya Jackson | Ollie E. Brown | 4:23 |
| 8. | "If I Ain't Got It" | Carolyn Johns, Larry Farrow | Larry Farrow | 4:52 |
La Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, The Jacksons, on CBS between 1976 and 1977. Thereafter, she saw success as a solo recording artist under multiple record labels in the 1980s and 1990s, including Polydor, Sony Music and RCA, where she released nine studio albums over the course of 15 years. Her most successful releases in the United States were her self-titled debut album (1980) and the 1984 single "Heart Don't Lie". Jackson's other songs include "If You Feel the Funk", "Bet'cha Gonna Need My Lovin'", "Hot Potato", "You're Gonna Get Rocked!", and "Sexbox". Another one of Jackson's songs, "Just Say No" from her fifth album was composed for US first lady Nancy Reagan and Reagan administration's anti-drug campaign.
Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson is an American musician. He is an original member of the Jackson 5, who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s with the Motown label, and later had continued success with the group on the Epic label in the late 1970s and 1980s. Tito began a solo career in 2003 performing as a blues musician.
Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson-Brown is an American singer and the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her siblings during shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in 1974, before subsequently appearing in the television series The Jacksons. Her sister La Toya was born on her sixth birthday. At age 34, Jackson released her debut album Centipede (1984). The album featured songs written by Smokey Robinson, Prince, and Jackson's younger brother Michael, whose contribution became Rebbie's most successful single release. Jackson released two more albums in quick succession: Reaction (1986) and R U Tuff Enuff (1988).
Ray Erskine Parker Jr. is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song for the 1984 film Ghostbusters and also sounds from the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-5 hit in 1982 with "The Other Woman". He also performed with his band, Raydio, and with Barry White in the Love Unlimited Orchestra.
Angela Lisa Winbush is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who rose to fame first in the 1980s R&B duo René & Angela, also scoring hits as a solo artist. To date, Winbush has sold over 10 million albums and singles worldwide.
Patrice Louise Rushen is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director.
Triumph is the fourteenth studio album by the Jacksons, released on September 26, 1980, by Epic Records.
"This Place Hotel" is a 1980 song by the Jacksons, written by Michael Jackson. While his brothers did not sing background vocals, they were credited with playing percussion on the album while brother Tito contributed a guitar solo. The song has a tempo of 98 beats per minute, making it notably slower than many of the other disco-based songs on the album. In the song, the protagonist speaks of a time when ten years ago, he took his girlfriend to a hotel for a romantic night—only to find out that it was designed specifically to break couples up. The staff at the hotel gave the girl the impression that he had cheated on her with someone else, something he did not do, which caused her to break up with him in the hotel.
Raydio is an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977 by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. In 1978 Charles Julian Fearing and Larry “Fatback” Tolbert joined the band, along with Darren Carmichael.
"Forget Me Nots" is a 1982 song by the American R&B musician Patrice Rushen. It appears on her seventh album, Straight from the Heart. It has been sampled and interpolated in several songs, including "Men in Black" (1997) by Will Smith and "Fastlove" (1996) by George Michael.
James Earl Gilstrap is an American singer and session musician. He is best known for his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.
My Special Love is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter La Toya Jackson. Released in 1981, the album peaked at #175 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. After the album's limited success, it fell into obscurity, receiving a limited re-release on CD in Japan in the early 1990s, which was quickly deleted. The album was the rarest album from LaToya but was re-released on CD in 2019 by Cherry Pop Records including several bonus tracks, among them "If You Feel the Funk" from her debut solo album.
"If You Feel the Funk" is the debut single from American singer La Toya Jackson. It was released in 1980 on Polydor Records, and is from Jackson's self-titled debut album (1980). It was released in three versions, with "Are You Ready?", "Lovely Is She" and "Night Time Lover" on the B-side.
"Night Time Lover" is the second single by American singer La Toya Jackson, from her eponymous debut (1980). The track was produced and co-written by her brother, fellow American singer Michael Jackson, who was credited for background vocals. They originally wrote the song for Donna Summer under the title "Fire Is the Feeling".
"Stay the Night" is a 1980 song by Billy Ocean taken from his 1980 album City Limit. It was released as the follow-up to his hit single "Are You Ready?", and was also released as the B-side to this single in some countries. The song has been covered by La Toya Jackson and sampled by dance artist Lady on the 2002 Brazilian hit single "Easy Love".
Pizzazz is the fifth album by American singer Patrice Rushen, released in 1979.
Lynn Davis is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. She rose to prominence after joining The George Duke Band in 1977. During her time with the band, she sang lead vocals on some of their biggest hits: "I Want You for Myself", "Party Down", and "Thief in the Night". Under the guidance of Epic Records musician and mentor George Duke, Davis continued booking success by contributing background vocals and writing songs for many singers including Tracie Spencer, La Toya Jackson, Patrice Rushen, Anita Baker, and many other singers.
Love Lives Forever is the sixth and final studio album by the American soul singer Minnie Riperton. Released posthumously in 1980, it was co-produced by her husband Richard Rudolph and released on her then-label Capitol Records. It consists of tracks that she recorded in 1978 during vocal sessions before her death, and music recorded after her early death, occurred on July 12, 1979.
A Woman Needs Love is a 1981 album by American band Raydio, led by guitarist singer/songwriter Ray Parker Jr. Released by Arista Records on April 11, 1981, this is the fourth and final album by the band.
Ollie E. Brown is an American drummer, percussionist, record producer, and high-school basketball coach. A prolific session musician, Brown has performed on over a hundred albums in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Brown was also half of the American dance-pop duo Ollie & Jerry, which had a Top 10 hit with "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us" in 1984.
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