Gamble and Huff wrote and produced another uptempo song, the blunt entreaty to “Do Me.” With taut guitar licks, slinky bass and a wending saxophone all contributing mightily to John Usry’s killer chart, Teddy makes no secret of his romantic intentions on this pulsating track. McFadden and Whitehead delivered one of the most danceable cuts on Teddy, “If You Know Like I Know.” Pendergrass practically snarls his swaggering lead, holding his own with the brassy production.
Leroy Bell and Casey James also wrote the dramatic “Set Me Free,” decorated with a truly epic, rhythmically driving arrangement from Thom in the tradition of “Life is a Song Worth Singing.” A surprisingly relaxed outing, it features one of Pendergrass’ most comfortable leads, no less fervent in its yearning but much more understated in its approach. “I’ll Never See Heaven Again” was written by Thom’s protégés, nephew Leroy Bell and Casey James, and arranged by his younger brother Anthony Bell. Producer Thom Bell, fresh off his remarkable streak of successes with The Spinners, contributed two tracks. “All I Need is You,” co-written and produced by Sherman Marshall and arranged by Dexter Wansel, finds the singer in a similarly emotive, seductive vein, with Wansel’s shimmering chart providing the luster. Pendergrass’ passionate, rough-hewn vocals contrasted with the plush settings, exuding pure lust and ardor. Both “Come Go with Me” (not the Del-Vikings oldie) and “Turn Off the Lights” were penned and produced by Gamble and Huff and arranged by longtime MFSB flautist Jack Faith in lavish orchestral splendor. Teddy opened with two of the lush, sultry bedroom odes for which the former lead singer of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes was becoming known. All of these disparate talents crafted a stylistically consistent record of both bedroom ballads and funky dancers that still stands tall among the peaks of Philadelphia soul. Overseen by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the 1979 album followed in the footsteps of its predecessor, the previous year’s R&B chart-topper Life Is a Song Worth Singing, in featuring notable contributions from Thom Bell and Dexter Wansel as well as from the duo of Gene McFadden and Jerry Whitehead. Sharing a few pictures from my journey in Central African Republic, my native country.Cherry Red’s Big Break Records imprint has turned back the clock to 1979 for a pair of titles from the legendary roster of Philadelphia International Records.īBR has continued its journey through the catalogue of the late Teddy Pendergrass with an expanded reissue of his third PIR solo platter, simply entitled Teddy. Let’s do it on the ground, for the people for whom it will matter the most. And this will not happen on the smooth carpets of the luxurious palaces or in the conferences alleys while we are mutually patting our back… We have the opportunity to make the future brighter. « We all lose when we fail to protect the weakest of us. » More than ever, we should start reflecting and taking action in making connectivity a fundamental human right. The good thing is that as everything still needs to be built, it could be done from scratch in these regions and leapfrog to the next iteration of things.
Most of them can’t provide IDs and/or salary slip, the basics you need to open a bank account. Because the majority transact with mobile money as they don’t have access to banking. I can’t even imagine how people are living under such conditions.Īnd guess what, they all have a cell phone (a smart one and a regular one).
It was so stressful to not have access to my money due to the poor network conditions. Even to do a few transactions to have money… It felt like having a foot on my throat and not being able to breath. I couldn’t have imagine that it would have been so difficult to access the internet. This time the trip was so revealing to me of the gap we need to fill in order to give access to everyone to the next iteration of things as we move forward as human species. I was in Central African Republic for a few weeks. My take is that we should focus on bringing in more diversity if not going out there and do the best we can to onboard the masses. Tired of the same speeches, same usual suspects, same conferences…ĭon't get me wrong. You know me from a different angle as I am always one of the most enthusiastic person in the room. I am not posting as much as I used to… Because I am building, but also because I am taking a break from all of the noise and continual flow of news…
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