Chaka Khan - I Feel For You (2014) [Hi-Res]

31 years ago today, Chaka Khan released her fifth album, an effort which features a title track that’s become one of her signature tunes and remains the most successful studio album in her back catalog.

Although it’s neither her highest-charting R&B album nor her highest-charting pop album, all eyes – and, yes, ears – were on I Feel for You when it was first released. This had little to do with Chaka herself and everything to do with the fact that its title track was written by Prince, featured an introductory rap by Grandmaster Melle Mel, and had a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder. It’s no wonder, then, that the song topped the R&B and dance charts, made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and ascended to the top spot on the UK Singles chart. Its success was out of this world, ultimately earning the 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Song, but here’s more to I Feel for You than just its title track: Khan also found success with the album’s subsequent singles, “This is My Night” and “Through the Fire.”

It’s also kind of fascinating to see just how many familiar names are listed in the credits for the album: Steve Ferrone, Steve Lukather, Robbie Buchanan, Michael Sembello, Hamish Stewart, Steve Porcaro, James Newton Howard, David Foster…the list goes on and on. And did we mention that a good chunk of the album is produced by Arif Mardin? There aren’t many better marks of pop quality than Mardin’s name.

„When Chaka Khan recorded her fifth solo album, I Feel for You, in 1984, she knew that R&B had changed a lot since the 1970s. Horn-powered funk bands, strings-laden Philadelphia soul, and orchestral disco were out of vogue, and the urban contemporary audiences of 1984 were into a more high-tech, heavily electronic style of R&B. Many artists who had been huge in the 1970s found that they no longer appealed to black radio programmers, who had abandoned them and turned their attention to electro-funksters and Prince disciples. But Chaka Khan had no problem keeping up with the times; I Feel for You made it clear that she could easily be relevant to the urban contemporary scene of 1984. No one would mistake I Feel for You for a Rufus project from 1975 -- it's way too high-tech -- and yet, everything on the album is unmistakably Chaka Khan. That is true of up-tempo items like "Love Is Alive" (an interesting remake of Gary Wright's 1976 hit) and "La Flamme," as well as the ballad "Through the Fire," which was a big hit on urban radio but crossed over to adult contemporary stations in a major way. "This Is My Night" (which was written and produced by the System) also became an urban radio hit, but the album is best known for Khan's unlikely remake of Prince's "I Feel for You." When Prince first recorded "I Feel for You" in 1979, it wasn't a hit; Khan's version, however, soared to number one on Billboard's R&B singles chart. Khan had a very different take on the song than Prince; while his original version was subtle and restrained, Khan went for exuberance and added a strong hip-hop flavor. Excellent from start to finish, this album went down in history as both a creative and a commercial success.“ (Alex Henderson, AMG)

Chaka Khan, lead vocals, backing vocals
David Frank, keyboards, synthesizer, programming
David Foster, keyboards, synthesizer (track 8)
James Newton Howard, keyboards (track 7)
Danny Sembello, keyboards, synthesizer (track 4)
Don Freeman, keyboards, synthesizer (track 4)
Rob Mounsey, Synclavier (track 4)
Robbie Buchanan, keyboards, synthesizer, programming (tracks 2, 6)
Craig Siegel, Fairlight programming (track 2)
John Robie, keyboards, synthesizer, programming (track 3)
Stevie Wonder, chromatic harmonica (track 6)
Grandmaster Melle Mel, vocals (track 6)
Steve Lukather, guitar (track 7)
Dan Huff, guitar (track 2)
Tony Maiden, rhythm guitar (track 4)
Reggie Griffin, guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, programming (track 6)
Michael Sembello, guitar solo, backing vocals (track 4)
Michael Landau, guitar (track 8)
Vadim Zilberstein, guitar (track 9)
Nathan East, bass (tracks 2, 8)
Hawk, bass, keyboards (track 7)
Steve Ferrone, drums (tracks 1, 4)
J.R. Robinson, drums (tracks 2, 7, 8)
Joe Mardin, drums (track 9)
Mic Murphy, backing vocals (track 1)
Hamish Stuart, backing vocals (track 5)
Mark Stevens, backing vocals (track 5)
Cruz Sembello, backing vocals (track 4)

Produced by Arif Mardin, David Foster

Digitally remastered