Manford Best - I've Been Loving You (1980) [Reissue 2018]

“I’ve Been Loving You” sees Manford Best finally laying the ghosts of The Wings to rest and emerge as a serious player in the glittering new world of Afro boogie. Recorded in London, with Nigerian super producer, Jake Sollo, at the desk, it is a highly polished collection of disco classics, guaranteed to fill any dance floor in the world. The title track gets the party started with an irresistible bass line and chirpy horn section. Written by Best while he was still in The Wings, the song is unrecognisable from the one that topped the Nigerian charts in 1973. ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ has a groove that suggests Manford has the dance floor on his mind, not the bedroom. ‘I Feel Like Dancing’, written by Jake Sollo and featuring the vocals of Nigerian diva, Pat Henry, is sophisticated and sexy and a stone cold classic of the era. “I’ve Been Loving You” is an extraordinary metamorphosis. Manford Best, the rough and ready guitarist from the back blocks of eastern Nigeria, emerges as a glittering ‘disco’ butterfly, ready to strut the dance floors of London – and the world.