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Come 2 My House Chaka Khan album
BMG
albumHe had my poster on his wall.
Chaka Khan was Prince’s long-term friend and musical influence. Starting her career in 1973 as lead vocalist for Rufus, Prince followed her career since Ask Rufus in 1977. Going solo in 1978 Khan shot into the mainstream in 1984 having famously re-recorded Prince’s 1979 track I Feel For You which he released on his eponymous album in 1979. Khan’s cover of the song turned it into an international hit and was the title track to her sixth solo album, helping it to Platinum certification. Khan’s cover of I Feel For You won Prince a Grammy for Best R&B Song and was the 5th best selling single of 1985. Khan and Prince first met, albeit briefly, at Record Plant Sausalito where Prince was recording his debut LP For You in 1977. Impersonating the voice of Sly Stone, who recorded at the same studio, Prince phoned Khan who happened to be at a hotel in nearby San Francisco. She came down to the studio but turned on her heels when discovering Prince tricked her to meet him in the studio. When the tables turned, Prince gave her his blessing to re-record I Feel For You in 1984 to help reboot her stalling career. In 1988, he wrote her the track Sticky Wicked which she released on her eighth album C.K.. They would not actually meet again until February 1998 when Prince completed Come 2 My House to again help relaunch her in the US, writing ten of the album’s thirteen tracks.
The project was completed from start to finish within two weeks in sessions at Paisley Park Studios. Prince performs the instruments throughout the entire album. On Come 2 My House, Khan covers Prince’s Don’t Talk 2 Strangers and his 1995 out-take Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart. Having received I’ll Never Open My Legs Again as one of five songs written by Sandra St. Victor, Tom Hammer and Vernon Reid, Prince rewrote the lyrics to the track and retitled it Eye’ll Never B Another Fool. Khan additionally covers the 1974 track Hair by Larry Graham who was likewise receiving Prince’s help to revive his career, co-producing Graham’s LP GCS 2000. Splitting the profits 50/50, Prince’s work on the album is credited under his then name, Prince Love Symbol.
Khan and Graham accompanied Prince on his 1998 Newpower Festival Tour, and during it Prince and Khan often performed I Feel For You together, on which she joined Prince as support act for the promotion of the trio’s albums; Come 2 My House, Prince’s own studio album Newpower Soul (released in June 1998 and credited to the NPG) and Graham’s GCS 2000. The commercial release of Khan and Graham’s records followed the release of Newpower Soul. The three were issued under Prince’s label NPG Records and distributed by BMG. It was originally intended to release Come 2 My House under Arista Records but once those plans fell through promotion suffered and the album failed to chart.
Prior to Come 2 My House Chaka Khan had not released an album since 1992. Khan left NPG Records in 2000, releasing her next album in 2004 under Sanctuary Records. She won a total of ten Grammy awards during her career, and in December 2016 was ranked by Billboard magazine the 65th most successful dance club artist of all time.
Performers
- Vocals
- Chaka Khan
- All instruments
- Prince Love Symbol
- Drums
- Michael B Spoon and Eye’ll Never B Another Fool
- Bass Guitar
- Larry Graham Betcha Eye and Hair
- Rhonda Smith Eye Remember U
- Sonny T Spoon and Eye’ll Never B Another Fool
- Acoustic Guitar
- Mike Scott Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart and Don’t Talk 2 Strangers
- Keyboards
- Ricky Peterson Betcha Eye, Eye Remember U and Don’t Talk 2 Strangers
- Scratches
- Brother Jules Betcha Eye
- Trombone
- Michael B. Nelson Come 2 My House, Pop My Clutch, Democrazy, Reconsider (U Betta) and Hair
- Baritone Sax
- Kathy Jensen Come 2 My House, Pop My Clutch, Democrazy, Reconsider (U Betta) and Hair
- Tenor Sax
- Brian Gallagher Come 2 My House, Pop My Clutch, Democrazy, Reconsider (U Betta) and Hair
- Trumpet
- Dave Jensen Come 2 My House, Pop My Clutch, Democrazy, Reconsider (U Betta) and Hair
- Steve Strand Come 2 My House, Pop My Clutch, Democrazy, Reconsider (U Betta) and Hair
- Saxophone
- Walter Chancellor Jr. Reconsider (U Betta)
- Backing vocals
- Robert D. Palmer Spoon
- Chanté Moore Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart
- Marva King Democrazy
- Finger Cymbals
- Mayte Hair
- Orchestration
- Clare Fischer Intro and This Crazy Life Of Mine
Data
- Producers
- Chaka Khan and Prince Love Symbol
- Label
- NPG Records
- Distribution
- BMG
- Cover/Design
- Steve Parke
- Released
- 28 years ago on 21 July 1998
- Running Time
- 59:51
- US Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- US R&B Peak
- 49
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
- Come 2 My House (4:45) 1
- Intro (0:31) 1
- This Crazy Life Of Mine (2:33) 1
- Betcha Eye (4:30) 1
- Spoon (3:49)
- Pop My Clutch [feat. Queen Latifah] (4:47) 1
- Journey 2 The Centre Of Your ♥ [feat. Prince] (4:15) 2
- Eye'll Never B Another Fool [feat. Prince] (4:12) 4
- Democrazy [feat. Prince and Larry Graham] (6:07) 1
- Eye Remember U (4:16) 1
- Reconsider (U Better) (4:23) 1
- (3:15) 2
- Hair [feat. Prince] (5:45) 3
- The Drama [feat. Prince] (6:35)
Released as a single
1 Co-written by Prince and Chaka Khan.
2 Written by Prince.
3 Written by Larry Graham.
4 Written by Sandra St. Victor, Tom Hammer and Vernon Reid as I’ll Never Open My Legs Again
Supporting tour
Jam of the Year
1997/8
- Love 4 One Another Charities Tour (USA & Canada)
21 shows from 7 January to 29 June, 1997 - Jam Of The Year (USA & Canada)
65 shows from 21 July 1997 to 22 January 1998 - Newpower Soul Tour (Europe)
17 shows from 30 April to 28 August, 1998 - Newpower Festival (USA & Europe)
15 shows from 23 September to 28 December, 1998
Come 2 My House album review
Like Prince’s collaboration with Larry Graham for GCS 2000, Chaka Khan’s Come 2 My House was also the product of studio time given in kind to lend his key musical influences a helping hand. Khan’s voice soars right from the opening title track. Prince’s production gives the album its smooth and glossy texture – his tell-tale flare is most evident on Pop My Clutch, Eye Remember U and Democrazy. Prince plays much of the instruments throughout and his writing contribution extends to ten of the album’s thirteen tracks. Of these, the tops are Betcha Eye, Eye’ll Never B Another Fool and Khan’s cover of Journey 2 The Centre Of Your Heart – one of Prince’s outtakes from his epic Emancipation sessions. Khan also covers Don’t Talk 2 Strangers (Prince’s original is previously released on The Vault). Khan’s Spoon is delightful and reminiscent of TLC. Hair, penned by Larry Graham, carries his typical theatricality, setting up the album to close with Kirky J’s production the dreamy The Drama.
Come 2 My House is rated 4 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
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