For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to feature a rarely mentioned duet between two late R&B legends. Teddy Pendergrass was already one of the premier voices in R&B when his duet “Hold Me” with future superstar Whitney Houston hit the airwaves in 1984. While Teddy P had a successful solo career on the Philadelphia International label, releasing five successive platinum albums (a record for an African-American R&B performer at the time), he moved to Asylum Records for his eighth album, Love Language.
Songs from the album were featured heavily on the soundtrack to the 1984 romantic comedy Choose Me, one of which is this week’s pick for Slow Jam Saturday. Linda Creed and Michael Masser wrote the song, while Masser also oversaw production. A gentle and lush arrangement opens the song before Pendergrass croons:
“I’ll hold you, and touch you
And make you my woman
And give you my love with sweet surrender
Tonight our hearts will beat as one
And I will hold you, touch you
And make you my woman tonight”.
Houston then comes before the second verse belting There’s something in your eyes I see A pure and simple honesty”. Listeners were treated to a preview of things to come from Houston’s angelic voice in the second verse as she sang:
“I believe you when you say that you love me
Know that I won’t take you for granted
Tonight the magic has begun
So won’t you hold me, touch me
Make me your woman tonight”.
Pendergrass’s vocal compliments of each other are second to none. When I hear the lyrics to the song at age 41, there are so many levels to the song. Whether it’s a first dance wedding song or experiencing intimacy for the first time, it’s a personal favorite of mine from both artists. Pendergrass would continue his career until his 2007 retirement, while all Mrs. Houston was only one year away from taking the music industry by storm. While I doubt the song will appear in Houston’s upcoming biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody; it was the perfect choice for Slow Jam Saturday.
Final Grade: A
Hold Me is available on all streaming platforms.
One of the great things about buying a soundtrack when I was in my DJ prime was discovering a slow jam that I could put on my mix CDs. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to highlight one of the songs: Jagged Edge’s cover of Air Supply’s, “All Out of Love.”
After twenty-six years in the game, Atlanta-based quartet Jagged Edge is currently on the road celebrating the anniversary of their magnum opus sophomore album, “J.E. Heartbreak,” with a tour titled “An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge.” To kick off our seventh wedding anniversary celebration, my wife and I will be the D.C. date on the tour this coming Wednesday.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to travel back to 1999 and show some love to R&B group Amyth, which was initially signed to LL Cool J Rock the Bells Records. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the group was formed in 1995 while the members were students at Southern University.