A co-lead singer alongside Alyson Williams in the early ’80s Chic-influenced post-disco outfit, High Fashion, husky-voiced Meli’sa Morgan inked a solo deal with Capitol in 1985. Her first single was a superb cover of Prince’s erotic slow jam, ‘Do Me Baby,’ helmed by up-and-coming Big Apple-based producer, Paul Laurence. A massive hit in the States – it topped the R&B charts – ‘Do Me Baby’ spawned an 8-track album of the same name in 1986. Out of print for many years, this rewarding mid-’80s soul album is now back in circulation and bolstered by the addition of seven bonus tracks.
For UK soul fans, the killer cut on the album was unequivocally the infectious ‘Fool’s Paradise,’ a propulsive dance groove co-written and produced by Morgan with her writing partner, pianist, Lesette Wilson. In fact, Morgan and Wilson are responsible for the lion’s share of the album, including the passionate beat ballads, ‘Do You Still Love Me,’ and ‘Now Or Never,’ both of which showcase the magnificence of Meli’sa Morgan’s extraordinary voice. The duo could also deliver some feisty femme funk, as exemplified by the driving ‘I’ll Give It When You Want It.’ Though the Paul Laurence-produced closer, ‘Lies,’ almost plagiarised the groove section of Michael Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,’ ‘Do Me Baby’ was a pretty impressive debut.
This expanded reissue includes the non-album B-side, ‘Deeper Love’ (in both remix and dub formats), plus several single mixes of album tracks, including the coveted ‘Paradise Mix’ of the sensational ‘Fool’s Paradise’ and an instrumental version of ‘Do Me Baby.’ The liner notes, with contributions from Morgan and Paul Laurence, are well worth a read too.
(CW) 4/5
