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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 1993)
P age B3 T he P ortland O bserver • A ugust 18, 1993 a ■c— A nteet ainment 1 La - > i THE W ith thirty years as hitmakers, The O ’Jays have the special distinc tion of being one of the select few groups still making albums that con sistently become best-sellers. Their 1991 EMI set Emotionally Yours, set the pace for The O ’Jays’ latest decade o f hit records by achieving gold status and with the 1993 release of Heart- breaker, the group is destined to achieve new heights. With new member Nathaniel Best (former musical director for Miki Howard and an accomplished musi cian and vocalist in his own right) replacing Sammy Strain (who went back to his original group Anthony and the Imperials), original members Eddie Levert and W alter W illiams are excited about the prospects for their latest work. “We wanted the new album to be a little more well- rounded. It’s not about taking the R&B edge off but making the music a little broader in its appeal,” says Levert, whose distinctive vocal style has graced over fifty hit singles since the group began racking up chart singles in 1963. The father of Gerald and Sean Levert (two-thirds of the hitm aking group Levert) knows a thing or two about staying current: “The one thing w e’ve found is that good lyrics and good melodies are always the key. It’s only the drum and bass sounds that really change with eachdccade. W e’ re keeping our natural vocal sound — just adapting to those musical change. That way, we stay in the game.” Heartbreaker presents The O ’ Jays in a variety o f musical settings, from the edgy “C ryin’ The Blues’ to the gospel-laden “He Loves You (fea turing Sherena Wynn). T he pop/ R&B’’ feel of “One Wonderful G irl” contrasts with the urgent, funky sound of “Trouble” ; while upbeat cuts like “C an’t Let Go” and the infectious “Decisions” have an immediate, in stant appeal. No O ’Jays album would be com plete without its requisite share of soulful ballads: “ Somebody E lse W ill,” “Show Me The Right Way.” “No Can Do” and the album ’s title track more than fit the bill. Balancing different sides of The O ’Jays’ musi- ii Oregon cality, Heartbreaker is a showcase for the virtuosity o f this legendary outfit. Heartbreaker features the pro duction talents of Levert, W illiams and longtime musical associate Dwain M itch ell (collectively know n as W E D Productions); and Gerald Levert and Edwin Nicholas who con tributed two o f the album ’s ten cuts. Eddie Levert articulates The O ’Jays their latest work: “For us, it’s all about reaching everybody, young, old, the R&B audiences, the pop record buyers while still keeping our iden tity. We like to be adventurous with out music and at the same time, keep that earthy feel that’s always been a part of The O ’Jays’ sound.” T he ‘earthy feel’ that Eddie Levert refers to has been the earmark o f The O ’Jays work since the group came into existence in the 1950 in Canton, Ohio when Levert and Walter W illiams began singing gospel tunes on a local radio station. The following year, the duo became The Mascots, a quintet with the addition of William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. A popular “live’ act in Ohio, the group signed with King Records of Cincinnati and in 1961, The Mascots released their first single, “M iracles.” Shortly afterwards, the team adopted the name of their m anager local radio personality Eddie O ’Jay; in 1963, The O ’Jays enjoyed their first na tional hit with the Levert-W illiams composition “Lonely Drifter (ini tially released on Little Star Records, later picked up by Imperial Records.) A series of hit singles for several labels, B ell, N eptune, and Saru Records allowed the group national attention. After a one-shot single (“Peace”) with the Ohio-based Saru label, the O ’Jays signed with Gamble & H uff's CBS-distributed Philadel phia International Records. W ith the departure of Bill Isles, who left before the Bell Recordings, and later Bobby Massey, the group became a trio and in 1972, the release of the Back Slabbers album began a seven-year period of gold and platinum albums and a non-stop run of hit singles. Aside form being the title of their first gold album, Back Stabbcrs was also the first of seven No. 1 R&B hits ’JAYS The O'jays: Eddie Levert Walter Williams and Nathaniel Best The O ’Jay senjoy cd during their Phila delphia International years. Follow ing the 1973 release of The O ’Jays In Philadelphia (a collection of their Neptune Recordings), the platinum Ship Ahoy album yielded the No. 1 pop and R&B smash in "Love Train," and the classics “Put Your Hands T ogether” and “for The Love of Money" (a Top 3 R&B. Top 10 pop million-selling single). The momentum kept going with Live In London (1974) and Survival (1975), both gold albums and hit singles “Let Me Make Love To You," and "Give The People What They Renewal Of Gabi’s Liquor License Postponed Lottery Pow erball 08/11/93 44-42-13-39-22 PB 44 08/14/93 10-11-14-34-36 PB 10 M egabucks 08/11/93 07-10-24-31-39 41 08/14/93 21-07-29-33-25-16 OMLflHU The carnival rides at the 1993 O regon State Fair, August 26-Sep- tember 6, will be provided by Funtastic Shows Inc. of Portland Some o f the rides scheduled for the Fair were made abroad in Italy, Germany and E n gland. which adds a touch of interna tional flavor as well as thrills. The scheduled rides will include traditional, proven favorites as well as several new and thrilling addi tions. The hottest ride, of course will be the Fair Chairlift, which is a ski- lift style ride running from one end of the fairgrounds to the other. The C hairlift offers a magnificent view of the entire Fair from 20 feet above. Fairgoerscan purchase eithcra single trip or round trip ticket, also new. The Ballon Race which is made in Italy, is an intermediate ride and mild enough for parents and children The ride consists o f eight balloons in a circle that lifts seven to eight feet in the air and then swings back and forth Traditional rides scheduled in c lu d e : T h e G ran d W h eel, T h e M atterhorn (made in Germany ), The Wave Swinger (made in Germany), The Enterprise (made in Germany). The Orbiter (make in England), The Monster (made right here in Salem, OR), The Kamikaze (made in Italy), The Sea Dragon (made in Kansas), Super Loops (made in Texas), Tilt- A- M U S IC M IL L E N N IU M 32nd & E. BURNSIDE 2 3 1 -8 9 2 6 23rd & NW JOHNSON 2 4 8 -0 1 6 3 C o n sid e ra tio n o f a h earings exam iner’s recommendation to re new the liquor license for G abi’s Res taurant and Lounge, 4700 NE M artin Luther K ing Jr. Blvd.. Portland, by the five members of the Oregon Li quor Control Commission has been postponed, according to OLCC Hear ing D irector Lee Moore. W hen OLCC hearings examiner David Slansky issued his 79-page recom m endation and proposed order last month, the Aug. 16 commission m eeting was the first possible time for action by the liquor board members, Moore said PORTLAND OBSERVER ; .. ’ . O llic c : (603, 200-0033 ¡ ;- j ; Fax'#:/' (503,200-0015 / : ’ 3 m Show: Celebrate Diversity 8:00 - Midnight MASONIC TEMPLE 1120 S.W. 10th a* W heel and more • « « «4 “However, when the Attorney G eneral’s office raised legal issues concerning the proposed order, it be came clear there just w asn’t enough time to work through the issues before the August meeting,” he said. Moore also explained that exceptions to a proposed order were filed, and they must be considered by the hearings examiner before the commissioners review the order and make their final decision. The Liquor Commission mem bers meet for two days each month The next two scheduled meetings are Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 25-26. / 4 *««■** • • * ► 5 - 4 * « f « * - * “* Mk. W ant” : 1975’s platinum Family Re union set, featuring the million-seller “1 Love Music” (No. 1 R&B, No. 5 pop) and “Livin’ For The Weekend In 1975, W illiam Powell left the group, due to illness, passing away two years later. He was later replaced by Sammy Strain. The mid- to late- seventies produces two gold albums, M essage In T he M usic (1 9 7 6 ), Travelin” At The Speed O f Thought (1977) and two more platinum sets, So Full O f Love (1978) and Identify Yourself (1979), spurred by a slew o f hit singles that included “ D arlin” D arlin” Baby ” “Use Ta Be My G irl” (an R&B chart-topper and Top 5 smash in 1978), "Brandy,” “Sing A Happy Song,” and “Forever M ine.” The O ’Jays continued their asso ciation with Philadelphia Interna tional through the albums They Year 2000 (1080), My Favorite Person (1982), Will I See You Again (1983) and Love And More (1984) and in 1985, Gamble & Huff initiated a deal with EMI Records, the group recorded the Love Fever album. 1987’s Let Me Touch You set featured production by Gamble & Huff and Thom Bell and yielded “L ovin’ You,” an R&B smash that knocked M ichael Jackson o ff the top o f Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart at the end of “87. W ith the 1991 release of the gold album Emotionally Yours. T heO ’Jays reached a new pinnacle of success. The title track, with an all-star choir providing soulful support, was a m a jor hit for the group as was “Keep On Lovin’ Me.” Now comes Heartbreaker, an other hit-filled album from the leg endary team destined to expand The O ’Jays’ universal appeal. “T here’s no doubt that the success of the group Levert has helped us,” says Eddie. “It’s made young people aware of us. They want to see these ‘old guys’ and they find that w e’re actually not that old and that we’ve got some great music for them,. It’s great because now w e’ve got three generations of people coming to see our shows: our fa n s, th e ir c h ild re n a n d th e ir children's children!” Finally gaining the industry -w ide and public recognition that is clearly their due after three decades of pro viding hit-making music, The O 'Jays are ready to take it to the next phase. Heartbreaker should help make the achievement of the group's goal of across-the-board and international acceptance a reality. HOMOWA FESTIVAL an African Harvest Festival Featuring african music, dance, food & crafts 2:00 pm M ai Chi and Kubatana 2 :4 5 pm Obo Addy’s Okropong with Ghanaian guest artists 5 :0 0 p m Kukrudu 6 :0 0 p m Les Tetes Brulees Sunday, August 29, 1993 2 p m - 7 :3 0 p m R o s e G a rd e n A m p h ith e a tre FREE! Part of the Bank of America Rose Garden Concert series Funding for the Festival comes from The National Endowment for the Arts. Metropolitan Arts C om m ission, O regon A rts C om m ission. C ollins Foundation, and Tem pleton Foundation.