Evelyn "Champagne" King - Get Loose (Expanded Edition) (2016)

Hot off the heels of her successful comeback album, I'm in Love, Evelyn "Champagne" King was in her commercial prime when Get Loose hit stores in 1982. One of the earliest R&B/funk female vocalists to use the music video medium (for 1981's "I'm in Love"), she was frequently on airwaves in the early '80s with songs found here like "Love Come Down" and "Betcha She Don't Love You." The romantic lyrics and celestial keyboard layerings against a steady funk beat on "Love Come Down" were expertly layed down by Kashif, who would become a prominent R&B producer and artist in his own right. His stamp is also on many of the album's other cuts, though Morrie Brown is the album's actual producer. "Betcha" is another unique number a down-paced dancefloor ditty with a rock-friendly chorus and vocal arrangement. Meanwhile the title track is a colorful up-tempo number that hearkens back slightly to 1977's "Shame." Equally appealing are the refined "Back to Love" and "I'm Just Warmin' Up," the album's soothing closer. King sounds fresh and stylish throughout, making Get Loose one of her strongest efforts.