Chaka Khan - Chaka Khan +Album Reviews

Chaka's Best and i got it!!

J. Hayes | San Francisco, Ca USA | 04/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!!"

C.K. strikes again!

Andre' S Grindle | Bangor,ME. | 05/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

The Kind of Album Around Which Artists' Cults Form

Jeff Pearlman | Lakeland, FL USA | 07/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

One listen and you'd think the others were only kidding!

Simon Turner | Ft lauderdale Florida | 05/13/2004

(5 out of 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!""

Simply amazing...

Patroller1 | Southport UK | 03/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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??????????????????????????????????"

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	Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Genres: Dance & Electronic, Pop, R&B
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