🎵 AotW Spotlight: Lani Hall - BLUSH (SP-4829)

[Captain Bacardi]

Lani Hall
BLUSH
A&M SP-4829

Released 1980

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Cassette

Produced by Allee Willis
* Produced by Allee Willis & Dick Rudolph

Singles Chart: "Where's Your Angel?" - #88 on Hot 100; "Come What May" - #43 on Top Adult Contemporary

Songs & Musicians:

• 1. Where's Your Angel? (Allee Willis/Greg Phillinganes) - 2:59
  • Raymond Pounds - Drums
    Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards & Synthesizers, Instrumental Arrangement
    Steve Forman - Percussion
    Background Vocals: Tommy Funderburk, Arnold McCuller, Lauren Wood, Arno Lucas
  2. In The Dark (Allee Willis/Lauren Wood) - 3:54
  • Gary Mallaber - Drums
    Gary Ferguson - Drums
    Kenny Lewis - Bass
    Marty Walsh - Guitar
    Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards & Synthesizers
    Steve Forman - Percussion
    Background Vocals: Tommy Funderburk, Arnold McCuller, Lauren Wood, Arno Lucas
  3. Come What May (Allee Willis/David Lasley) - 4:29
  • Lead Vocals: Lani Hall & Herb Alpert
    Mike Baird - Drums
    Gary Mallaber - Drums
    John Pierce - Bass
    Jeremy Lubbock - Grand Piano, Instrumental Arrangement
    Randy Waldman - Fender Rhodes
    Herb Alpert - Flugelhorn Solo
    Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster
    Jules Chaikin - Contractor
    Background Vocals: Tommy Funderburk, Arnold McCuller, Jon Lind, Marcy Levy, Lauren Wood
  4. Love Me Again (Allee Willis/David Lasley) - 3:46
  • Gary Ferguson - Drums
    Gary Mallaber - Drums
    Kenny Lewis - Bass
    John Jarvis - Fender Rhodes
    Greg Philinganes - Additional Keyboards
    Steve Varneau - Harmonica
    Background Vocals: Tommy Funderburk, Arnold McCuller, Jon Lind, Marcy Levy, Lauren Wood
  5. No Strings (Allee Willis/David Lasley) - 3:38
  • Gary Mallaber - Drums
    Kenny Lewis - Bass
    Marty Walsh - Guitar
    Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
    Horns: Jerry Hey, Charlie Daniels, Bill Reichenbach, Kim Hutchcroft
    Horn Arrangement: Jerry Hey
    Jeremy Lubbock - String Arrangement
    Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster
    Jules Chaikin - String Contractor
    Background Vocals: Tommy Funderburk, Arnold McCuller, Jon Lind, Marcy Levy, Lauren Wood
  6. Ain't Got Nothin' For Me (Allee Willis/Lauren Wood) - 4:06
  • Gary Mallaber - Drums
    Kenny Lewis - Bass
    Marty Walsh - Guitar
    Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards & Synthesizers
    Steve Forman - Percussion
    Jeremy Lubbock - String Arrangement
    Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster
    Jules Chaikin - String Contractor
    Background Vocals: Tommy Funderburk, Arnold McCuller, Jon Lind, Marcy Levy, Lauren Wood
  7. Wish I Would've Stayed (Allee Willis/Jon Lind) - 4:42
  • Jeff Porcaro - Drums
    Mike Porcaro - Bass
    Marty Walsh - Guitar
    Greg Phillinganes - Acoustic Piano
    Jeremy Lubbock - Fender Rhodes, Instrumental Arrangement
    Steve Forman - Percussion
    Glenn Dictarow - Concertmaster
    Jules Chaikin - Contractor
    Background Vocals: Tommy Fundeburk, Lauren Wood, Arno Lucas, Marcy Levy
  8. I Don't Want You To Go (Allee Willis/Bruce Roberts) - 4:40*
  • Harvey Mason - Drums
    Gary Ferguson - Drums
    David Hungate - Bass
    Jeremy Lubbock - Keyboards, Instrumental Arrangement
    Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers
    Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster
    Jules Chaikin - Contractor
    Background Vocals: David Lasley, Arnold McCuller, Marcy Levy, Tommy Funderburk, Sharon Reid, Allee Willis, Lani Hall
  9. Only You (Allee Willis/Bruce Roberts) - 4:10*
  • Gary Ferguson - Drums, Marching Snares
    Kenny Lewis - Bass, Marching Snares
    Marty Walsh - Guitar
    Tim May - Guitar
    Bruce Roberts - Keyboards
    Brian Mann - Keyboards
    Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers
    Greg Phillinganes - Marching Snares
    Paulino da Costa - Percussion
    Victor Feldman - Vibes
    Jeremy Lubbock - String Arrangement
    Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster
    Jules Chaikin - Contractor
    Background Vocals: David Lasley, Arnold McCuller, Marcy Levy, Tommy Funderburk, Sharon Reid, Allee Willis, Lani Hall

Recorded at Hollywoood Sound Recorders, Westlake Audio, A&M Recording Studios, Conway Recording, Evergreen Recording
Engineered by Mick Guzauski
Assistant Engineers: Ron Garrett, Paul Ray, Erik Zobler
* Engineered by Phil Moores
*Assistant Engineer: Steve Zaretsky
*Remixed By Phil Ramone
Production Coordinator: Marylata Kastner
Mastered at A&M Recording Studios by Bernie Grundman

Art Direction: Chuck Beeson
Design: Junie Osaki
Photography: Norman Seeff

Allee's special thanks: Herb Alpert, Greg Phillinganes, Lauren Wood, and my new house.

Lani's special thanks: I want to especially thank A&M Records for all of their help and support throughout the years. Special thanks to Allee "Laverne" Willis, Mick "Squiggy" Guzauski and Ron "Lenny" Garrett.

Special thanks to Stella Blatt

Management: Ron Stone



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I like the opening tune, and "Come What May" is a nice Lani/Herb duet, but I didn't really enjoy this one all that much. It seems overproduced to me when compared with her earlier efforts. I probably would still buy a CD of it though...would be willing to give it another chance.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

I was programming adult contemporary radio at the time and played Where's Your Angel, Come What May and I Don't Want You To Go. All great songs that along with the album as a whole, ahould have been bigger.

Given Lani's talent, her acceptance by a mass audience when she was with Brasil '66, and her marriage to Herb, A&M's failure to deliver consistent airplay and sales for Lani has always mystified me. This LP should have been the one.

 

[Harry]

"Come What May" is far and away my favorite here. But it has to be THIS version - not the one on COLLECTIBLES, nor the Spanish version. (The Spanish one would rank second).

Harry

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Listened to this album recently - not surprised that it wasn't a hit. The songs aren't strong ("Come What May" is pretty) but basically uninspired and unmemorable.......

BC

 

[Dave]

I agree, this is not a very strong set of songs, let alone a very strong set in the way of production, either...

I believe "Love Me Again" here is the same song as the one by Rita Coolidge (and Rita's album it's off of) but I've never had both at the same time to confirm (as was the case with Lani's previous LP's "Secret Garden", vs. Herb's "Magic Garden", hence my confusion, there...)

If it took a vocal appearance by Herb Alpert on "Come What May" to really make this LP go anywhere (and I, too, wonder why it was redone on Ms. Hall's Collectibles set) then even there, there was little hope for this outing...

(Although Lani backed by Kenny Lewis, on Bass and Gary Mallaber, on Drums--both members of the concurrent-lineup in the Steve Miller Band--seemed to be kind of neat, at least kicking up some life in this album, on "In The Dark", "No Strings" and "Ain't Got Nothin' For Me"...)

"Overproduced" in this sense of structure worked well in the '60's and '70's, after which this sort of thing did not jibe too well in the '80's... So like Double Or Nothing, this did not bode too well with me, either...


Dave

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Clearly a more commercial effort for Lani. The ballads work best for her. I also picked "Come What May" as my favorite, but "I Don't Want You To Go" was a good recording. Sometimes the uptempo songs dabbled into the now tacky disco scene, although I did like "No Strings".

I'm still trying to figure out the cover photo. Must've been a bad hair day...



Capt. Bacardi

 

[toeknee4bz]

...Where's Your Angel, Come What May and I Don't Want You To Go. All great songs that along with the album as a whole, should have been bigger.
Given Lani's talent, her acceptance by a mass audience when she was with Brasil '66, and her marriage to Herb, A&M's failure to deliver consistent airplay and sales for Lani has always mystified me. This LP should have been the one.

My sentiments exactly, but I guess we're out-numbered here. I would also add "Love Me Again" to the favorites list.

Tony

 

[Harry]

I also wonder about that cover photo. Not only for how bad the photo is, but that someone actually liked it enough to OK it for the cover.

Harry

 

[Mr Bill]

Okay, count me among the "Come What May"s, but (as a paid professional photographer) I don't find the cover photo that bad... Bad hair day"??? I find Lani looking rather "sexuh" in this shot. But I do think the LP cover design could've been better. The photo is fine.

--Mr Bill
treading in 'Dave-like' territory...

 

[toeknee4bz]

Sorruh,.. but the cover was the one thing about BLUSH that I didn't like. Now ALBANY PARK, well, that's another story!!!

As for the cheesy BLUSH photo, I guess it might appeal to the "inner cheese" in somebody.

Tony

 

[Dave]

..I also wonder about that cover photo... ...--that someone actually liked it enough to OK it for the cover...

Harry

--Yeh, and it may have even been Lani who did...!



Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

For some reason in that photo she doesn't even look like Lani to me. Compare this cover to DOUBLE OR NOTHING or ALBANY PARK. Looks like a different person! I also don't like the background color - just not my style, I guess.

I don't think the hair is big problem with the picture -- that's the way every woman's hair looked back then. I have theatre employee pictures from that same era where the girls' hair looks EXACTLY like that.

I think the problem with the material here is that it's all by the same (co)writer. Most likely, a "deal" was made with Allee Willis to write the songs and do the production...they would have had better results shopping around for some outside material.

A similar thing happened on the America album YOUR MOVE. They had a hit with a Russ Ballard tune, "You Can Do Magic," so they made a deal with him to produce their next album in full...he wrote all the songs and produced the record, and they wound up with a substandard album.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I think the problem with the material here is that it's all by the same (co)writer. Most likely, a "deal" was made with Allee Willis to write the songs and do the production...

This is pretty much 'par for the course' where 'producer albums' are concerned. A prime example is David Foster. If you look at half of the albums he produced in the 1980s, you'll find that he was a co-writer on a bunch of the songs. Same applies to a lot of other big name producers (e.g. Giorgio Moroder, Patrick Leonard, Michael Omartian, etc.)...

As for Allee Willis: Her music apparently sounded pretty good to Lani, and it still sounds good to this listener as well. At least this album does.

Tony

 

[LPJim]

This album's next in the AOTW series. Since it's been discussed here, I will move forward to the next item.
JB

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Three years late on this...actually 32....why FIVE recording studios when your husband owns A&M?

 

[Captain Bacardi]

It could be that the A&M studios were already booked by others and Allee Willis was running the show so she went to other studios. Just a guess on my part.



Capt. Bacardi