Chicago native Jody Watley was on fire in the late 80s. The former dancer on Soul Train and vocalist for Shalamar scored a #2 smash hit in 1987 with her first solo single, "Looking For A New Love." Two additional Top 10 hits would follow from her self-titled debut album: "Don't You Want Me" (#6) and "Some Kind Of Lover" (#10). Her sophomore effort, 1989's "Larger Than Life," kept the hits coming with three more reaching the Top 10, including "Real Love" (#2), "Friends" (#9), and "Everything" (#4). Watley's hot streak then came to an abrupt end, save a minor hit in 1992 when "I'm The One You Need" landed at #19. Her debut record yielded plenty of hits, but it is still surprising that "Learn To Say No," which features another superstar, George Michael, isn't more widely known. It is a great team effort by two of the 80s biggest talents that deserves more attention.
Shalamar was a funk, rock, and pop outfit that scored their first chart appearance in 1977 when "Uptown Festival (Part 1)" reached #25. They reached the Top 10 a few years later with "The Second Time Around," which peaked at #8. The band enjoyed a few other forgotten highlights along the way, including "Dead Giveaway," which reached #22, and "Dancing In The Sheets," which reached #17 and was featured in the movie Footloose. The group's last chart appearance was when "Amnesia" stalled at #73 in 1984. Jody Watley would soon depart for a successful solo career.
