TAVARES – Supercharged (Digitally Remastered reissue)

TAVARES bros. broke charts during the Seventies with their blend of soul, R&B and later some disco music. But at the end of the decade a new sound was reaching the FM radio: smooth West Coast, and the combo together with their label decided to update things.
The title of this album says all; “Supercharged“, enlisting super-producers David Foster, Bobby Colomby (Pages) and Benjamin Wright (Michael Jackson), plus first class songwriters Gerard McMahon, Bill Champlin and David Foster itself, and the likes of Toto’s Steve Lukather, David Hungate Greg Phillinganes, Jay Graydon, Ed Greene (Jeff Beck), Paul Jackson Jr, etc to play on it.

This greatly composed, performed and produced album is one of hidden gems from the prestigious L.A. factory / Session Crew. Musically combines the – for the era – incipient radio  West Coast AOR, funk, smooth soul and more.
The use of several producers was a meaningful change for Tavares as the multiple-cook approach to “Supercharged” resulted in a collection of wildly disparate songs covering many styles – but yet an album that ultimately worked brilliantly on its own terms.

All the three producers were able to have their own orchestra (real musicians, no samples here) and terrific session musicians to the fore.
David Foster contributed the disc’s heaviest and most bombastic production on the uptempo “I Don’t Want You Anymore” and the big ballad “We Both Tried” (co-written with Bill Champlin) and with ‘guys’ of the highest caliber; Jay Graydon and Steve Lukather to name some.

This contrasted greatly with Randazzo’s contribution, the light, late night West Coast ballad “Paradise” a gentle wisp of a song. The key is, though, while the three songs sounded like the product of entirely different groups, they were great compositions and perhaps even better performances.

Producer Bobby Colomby has Philinganes, Paul Jackson Jr and Pages’ keyboardist Steven George (Colomby produced Pages first one) on Gerard McMahon’s “Bad Times” arranged in a WC / funk style and exquisite instrumentation.

Benjamin Wright contributed behind the desk with a more classic smooth West Coast, Soul and R&B sounds in the laid back ballad “I Just Can’t Go On Living Without You” and the sweet midtempo “Why Can’t We Fall In Love”, a cover of a Deniece Williams album cut (co-written by David Foster) that Butch Tavares handled beautifully on lead vocals and turned into one of the best moments on Supercharged.

Incredibly, “Supercharged” only was released on CD in Japan, until a specialized European label finally brought it in all its remastered glory.
It does not matter at what musical genre are you more inclined, “Supercharged” oozes quality on every note, with a top class production impossible to recreate again.
Early 80s West Coast fans, this is a real treat.

1 – Bad Times (Theme From Defiance)
2 – We Both Tried
3 – Can’t Get Enough
4 – Why Can’t We Fall In Love
5 – I Can’t Go On Living Without You
6 – I Don’t Want You Anymore
7 – Paradise
8 – Got To Have Your Love

Lead Vocals – Chubby, Pooch, Ralph & Butch Tavares
Guitars:
Jay Graydon
Steve Lukather
Paul Jackson Jr.
Timothy James May
Bass:
David Shields
James Jamerson Jr.
David Hungate (Toto)
Drums:
Ed Greene (Jeff Beck
Harvey Mason (Steve Lukather band)
Percussion:
Bobby Colomby, Ed Mann
Keyboards:
David Foster
Steven George (Pages)
John Barnes
Bill Champlin
Electric Piano:
Greg Phillinganes (Toto, Eric Clapton)
Horns:
Art Maebe, Brian D.A. O’Connor, William Frank Reichenbach
Sax Soloist:
Pete Christlieb (Eric Clapton)
Strings:
Albert Edward Gill, Jacqueline Lustgarten, Gina Kronstadt
… and many more

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www.amazon.co.uk/Supercharged-Tavares/dp/B0073GVYLI