Patrice Rushen – Straight From The Heart

Boy if I had to choose amongst the best funk albums of 1982, this one would definitely enter the final selection, and it's not like there's no competition. Patrice Rushen is such a musical genius and her voice is so warm and smooth.

Patrice Rushen's music has been sampled and lifted by practically everyone. Her fourth Elektra release and seventh overall album, 1982's Straight from the Heart has surprisingly become largely sought after among crate diggers, soul enthusiasts, and DJs alike. A well-oiled melding of R&B, dance, and jazz, Heart scored the perfect blend of accessibility and swagger that kept the neon suburban kids and the fly B-boys and B-girls of the projects grooving across the nation. Every song sparkles with meticulous charm and cool urgency that defines the very essence of the post-disco R&B era. Many standouts on this classic. Highly recommended.

Never felt the need to locate any reissue of this one, as the original 1982 US Elektra pressing is more than fine. Lots of dynamics and nice separation. A bit on the bright side, there's some sibilance on certain tracks (i.e. some of the instrumentation and vocals on "All We Need," "Number One (Instrumental}," and "If Only" get shrill.) But overall, it's a solid recording. The now-OOP 1996 Rhino CD remaster was excellent, with extra 12" extended and single mixes as well as a great essay on Patrice and this classic itself.

Great LP! Patrice Rushen's work has aged so well. I have heard almost all these tracks in isolation while finding the samples of more recent electronic and hip-hop music. So many artists from different styles of music have sampled her work. If you listen to 90s and early 2000s sample-based electronic or hip-hop music, a full listen to the album may just surprise you with samples of some tracks you've heard before.

The UK pressing, ELEKTRA cat no. 52352 is excellent sound quality. Patrice has done some great albums, love her style x

This was the tune and album that introduced me to Patrice Rushen. However, I first heard her on r&b radio rather than jazz. And one can be very sure that was her intention all along. It was still a very difficult time if you called yourself a 'jazz' artist and smooth jazz was just starting to emerge from such exponents as Grover Washington and his proteges, Pieces of A Dream. So, Ms Rushen found a spot and occupied it. And she did it well all the while still being very musically interesting as well. She's had her share of critics one can imagine. Still she's the one with the awards not the critics. And this album is testimony to that musical greatness.

Patrice Rushen's career began young. She released her first album at 20 and was quickly recognised as being an outstanding keyboardist. She was known as a Jazz-Funk artist early on but before long moved towards sophsticated, funky R&B on which she began to showcase some cute and sassy vocals. Larry Levan picked up on her records and you can easily imagine the tracks on Straight from the Heart moving New York's more decearning dancefloors in the 80s.

The opening track is of course best known in the Will Smith version for Men In Black but the original is where it's at. There is some superb songwriting on this album and great musicianship. Uplifting, soulful and joyous throughout, records like this laid the foundations for house music, expecially soulful house that followed a decade later. The standout track is 'Number One', in my top 10 tunes of all time. Built around a funked-out guitar refrain, killer keys from Patrice and an unforgetable horn section it is musically complex yet sounds deceptively simple. A classic album from an artist who does not receive the credit she deserves.

Many thanks to BET for bringing back the video of "Forget Me Nots".This is simply funk at its best! Now we know why Will Smith coudnt resist sampling this track when he did "men in black".The track "number one" is also really cool.