Dee C Lee… wow, there’s a name that brings back plenty of pleasing Brit soul memories! Those of a certain vintage will have fond memories of Ms L (born Diane Catherine Sealy in London in 1961). She began her music odyssey with Central Line before being swept away to work with Wham and then the Style Council. You probably know she went on to marry Paul Weller in 1987. They divorced 12 years later but Dee continued to make music; her biggest solo hit was her still dramatic ‘See The Day’ (1985) and since then we’ve had occasional forays – one-off shows, a handful of singles and a few stellar collaborations (e.g. with Guru on 1993’s ‘No Time To Play’). So, it’s pleasing to announce that Dee is making a “comeback” of sorts with this lovely new album, ‘Just Something’ released 22nd March via Acid Jazz – a sort of logical label for her to work with.
The set’s an impressive 11 tracker and kicks off in fine style with a big, bright and totally “up” ‘Back In Time’. Lyrically and sonically this is a throw back to the great days of the 80s and early 90s. Soul fans love a bit of nostalgia and they’ll love this one as it extols the joy of “music on 45s” and when “dancin’ made you feel alive!”. The song was written by Dee with the Boogie Back boys, Michael McEvoy and Ernest McKone, so you know we’re talking soul quality. The boys also had a hand in two other tracks – the album’s first single ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ and ‘How To Love’. You might remember that the former was/is a lithe, Latin affair which the trio wrote as antidote to the hate and negativity of lockdown and the music matches the positive message; the latter is a sensitive, soulful ballad.
Elsewhere you can enjoy again the Latin-flecked flavours of ‘Be There In The Morning’. This one is a cover of a song originally co-written and recorded by Australian soul singer Renée Geyer and it was suggested to Dee by Acid Jazz head boy Eddie Piller. Listen up to the lovely harmonic ending! The album’s other cover is a version of ‘I Love You’ . Written by Don Blackman and recorded by Weldon Irvine in 1976. it’s long been a personal favourite of Dee and again label boss Eddie P suggested she should have it on the album.
With one more exception all the other songs were created by Dee. That exception is the sombre ballad, ‘Every Day Summer’ which was penned by her daughter Leah Weller. The track also has keyboard input from sometime Style Councillor Mick Talbot. This one is the newest single to be lifted from the album. Mick Talbot’s present too on ‘Walk Away’. An album highlight, this one’s another big, bright offering, chiming sweetly with that aforementioned opener, ‘Back In Time’. We’re told that it was inspired by classic Motown! Another highlight is ‘Anything’ – a Brit soul delight – shades of ‘My One Temptation’!
Going back to the top, like we said we might not have heard too much from Ms Lee for a while but the swagger, style and sound of ‘Just Something’ make it feel as if she’s never been away. Dare we say, “Welcome Back”! This one’s out March 22nd with pre-orders for the vinyl being taken now.
(BB) 4/5
