Vocalist Michael Cooper had already displayed his talents in the vocal group Con Funk Shun. He then blessed fans with his solo debut, Love Is Such a Funny Game, in 1987. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to give Cooper flowers for that album’s second single, “Dinner For Two.”
Cooper’s authoritative yet passionate tenor is enhanced by a thumping bassline, a sax introduction, and silky background vocals, which combine to form a compelling vocal ethos. Lyrically, the song tells us about a man expressing his desire to take a woman he is interested in out on a date. It is a romantic song with lyrical imagery of a romantic dinner for two in a cozy cafe, with wine, music, and sweet serenading.
He expresses his love for her and how she has “excited his heart and soul” and made him “feel so real.” He wants to show her his love and affection. The song culminates with him asking the woman if he can pick her up in his car so they can have dinner for two. Almost forty years later, the song is still a romantic slow jam capturing the feeling of falling in love.
Final Grade: A
“Dinner For Two” from Love Is Such a Funny Game is available on all streaming platforms.
This week’s Second Listen Sunday pick takes us back to 2006 to revisit “So Amazin’,” the third album from Christina Milian. Arriving in stores on April 19 of that year, the project was produced largely by Cool & Dre, sans one song, and saw the singer earn writing credits on nine of the album’s songs.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I want to showcase love for Rahsaan Patterson and his album track “Can We Wait a Minute” from his self-titled debut album, released in 1997.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to take a trip back to 2000 and show some love to the R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo and their third album, “X,” which was released in stores on December 5, just in time for a holiday stocking stuffer. Arguably, the group suffered from the sophomore slump with their second album, as only two singles were successful.