- Audio CD (11 Jun 2001)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Warner
- ASIN: B000007NCE
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 174,006 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Review
Naughty is Chaka Khan's greatest album. She may have had better individual tracks elsewhere in her career (Tell Me Something Good, for instance), but as a piece, this is a marvellous capture of the sound of funky New York at the turn of the 80s. Using the cream of the city's session players and produced by Arif Mardin, Naughty, her second solo release, is a funky, focused work.
The supporting cast is stellar, reading like a 80s soul aficionado's dream team. A young Whitney Houston sings with her mother, Cissy, members of the Average White Band and bassist Marcus Miller are all here, for starters. The presence and influence of Luther Vandross, then in his ascendancy after his early false solo-start, can be heard on the vocal arrangements. It all adds to the sophisticated sheen of Naughty. But it is unmistakably Khan's album. Even the best material here may have been rendered bland without her passionate, fiery vocals illuminating it.
Her dramatic reading of Ashford and Simpson's Clouds whets the appetite for the feast that follows. The stand-out track had actually been sung by Luther Vandross at a session a couple of years previously as part of Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie Band. Khan's take on Papillion (a.k.a. Hot Butterfly) adds appropriate grit to the smooth soul classic. The rock touches on Too Much nods to her best work with Rufus, while her version of Dionne Warwick's hit Move Me No Mountain certainly caught the ear of a young Jazzie B, who later took it into the UK Top 40 with Soul II Soul.
Naughty can be seen as the album that finally established Chaka Khan as a fully-fledged solo artist, able to cut the cord from Rufus, the group which had made her name. Her greatest commercial successes, Ain't Nobody and I Feel For You were just a few years ahead of her. --Daryl Easlea
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Her best work.......IMHO!,
By
This review is from: Naughty (Audio CD)
If you are new to Chaka or seasoned to her inimitable talent, this is, to date her greatest recording.The opener "Clouds", an atmospheric, string-laden Ashford & Simpson composition, sets the standard for the remainder of this classic and criminally ignored release. Chaka's voice has never sounded more soulful, powerful & inspired as on this release - just take a listen to "Move Me No Mountain" (covered weakly by Soul II Soul) and I would dare anyone to challenge Chaka's standing at the very top of the world's soul singers league. Likewise, sterling work is put into "Get Ready, Get Set", the beautiful ballad "Nothing's Gonna Take You Away" and the cult favourite "Papillon (AKA Hot Butterfly)", whilst "All Night's, All Right" has some serious heavy funk and rock overtones courtesy of guitarist Dean Parks. Again, some breathtaking production from Arif Mardin compounds the innovative brilliance of this release. Buy this now!!!! 24 years on, it is as fresh and astounding as on first hearing. Chaka - you are amazing!!!!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews) 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ms Khan at her best,
By Olukayode Balogun - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Naughty (Audio CD)
This is another one in my collection that recently made the very necessary transition from very worn vinyl to CD. Originally released in 1980, the album was produced by the legendary Arif Mardin, who sadly passed away recently. It's solo Chaka, i.e. without Rufus, at her best and this album is especially notable for featuring on background vocals, a very young Whitney Houston (on "Clouds" and "Our Love Is In Danger") and an - at the time - up and coming Luther Vandross (on "Papillon (aka Hot Butterfly)" and "Our Love Is In Danger"). Vandross's voice is particularly noticable on Papillon, which was a big hit for Khan, who was reportedly reluctant to let anyone do her backing vocals but herself. She and Mardin obviously knew talent when they heard it.
Personal favourites include "Clouds", (which was a huge club hit well into the 90s), "Get Ready, Get Set", "Move Me No Mountain", "What You Did" and "Papillon". But the truth is this is a solid set from start to finish. I'm a hopeless singer but this is one album I can never resist screeching along to every time I play it. If you're a Chaka fan, surely you must have this one already but if you'd like to find out how real female vocal r&b/soul was done back in the day, you cannot go wrong with this one. 11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
10 stars minimum,
By June Evans - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Naughty (Audio CD)
This is bar none Chaka's best solo project. Production, musicians, backing vocals and of course Chaka makes this cd/album a classic in every sense of the word. The songs are executed in perfect order and create a real story/theme. Every single song is strong and it's very hard to select my favorites. I have to say Like You Did and Nothing's Gonna Take You Away and Move Me No Moutain are atmospheric, but there is Clouds and Our Love's in Danger, both produced by Ashford and Simpson. Arif Mardin did an excellent job executing this album. I really wish Arif and Chaka would do another project to create more magic like Naughty.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ahead of her time....,
By mondo - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Naughty (Audio CD)
Amazing to hear how innovative and creative Chaka was and is. She had the outlets between her Rufus ventures and her solo career to experiment and lay down some quality work. Yes she is hella funky!!! but there's more to her genre breaking arrangements and vocals that reveal themselves upon repeated listens. Naughty and it's predecessor "Chaka" are essential. Adventurous music with integrity and soul that stands the test of time.
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