It’s been six years since audiences experienced the rating-breaking three-part mini-series, The New Edition Story. I still remember my excitement walking into an advance screening of Part 1 on a cold January night. One of my favorite scenes occurs in this part when a young Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins are supporting a pre-teen Bobby Brown in a talent show. The local Boston-based group, The Untouchables, is performing a cover of Philly soul group Blue Magic’s “Spell” before Bobby takes the stage. After hearing another cover version of the song in Michael Bivin’s documentary, The Hustle of 617 Biv, I decided to feature it for Slow Jam Saturday.
Blue Magic consisted of lead tenor Ted “Wizard” Mills, lead baritone Wendell Sawyer, second tenor Keith “Duke” Beaton,” bass Richard Pratt, and second baritone Vernon Sawyer. The group’s signature was their dreamy ballads and choreographed stage moves. “Spell” was the lead single from their self-titled debut album, which hit stores in January 1974.
Group member Ted Mills wrote the song, while Sigma Sound Studio’s legendary house band MFSB provided the music. The ballad explores the theme of being completely captivated and controlled by someone’s influence. The lyrics describe a sense of trouble and inner turmoil experienced by the narrator. They are constantly thinking, dreaming, and seeing visions of this person, unable to get themselves together.
The narrator’s repetition of the line “Must have put a spell on my mind” implies that they feel like they have been bewitched or influenced by this individual. This “spell” symbolizes this person’s inexplicable power and influence over the narrator’s mind and behavior. The bridge emphasizes this individual’s profound impact on the narrator, causing them to feel euphoric and utterly transformed. It implies that the spell has altered the narrator’s identity, leaving them entirely subject to the whims of the person who cast it.
The conclusion emphasizes being under someone’s control, recognizing the spell as the reason for this strong bond and inability to escape. It portrays a feeling of surrender and acknowledgment of their destiny to be with this individual. Anyone who has ever been in lust can relate to the song just as much as anyone who has been madly and deeply in love.
Final Grade: A
“Spell” from Blue Magic is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.