Journalist, Political Reporter, Cultural Critic, Editor/Proofreader
Alex V. Henderson
Philadelphia, PA
vixenatr
October 2012
Angela Clemmons
This Is Love
No less than five years passed between Angela Clemmons’ self-titled debut album of 1982 and her 1987 follow-up, This Is Love—and during those five years, R&B evolved considerably. In 1982, R&B wasn’t far removed from the soul, funk and disco of the 1970s. But by 1987, the high-tech urban contemporary sound had thoroughly taken over. And on This Is Love, it was clear that Clemmons (who was frequently compared to Deniece Williams because of her ability to hit the high notes) was determined to change with the times.
This Is Love is a very different album from its predecessor. Angela Clemmons, unlike This Is Love, was a consistently 1970s-sounding debut; the influence of 1970s soul was as evident on the album’s romantic ballads and slow jams as it was on its uptempo dance offerings, which included a spirited disco-soul remake of the Chairman of the Board’s 1970 smash “Give Me Just a Little More Time.” Thirty years after her first album, Clemmons is still best known for that cover (which wasn’t a big hit on the R&B charts but was a major club hit and reached the Top 5 on the dance charts).
But as promising a debut as Angela Clemmons was, the Connecticut-based singer had no desire to live in the past when she recorded This Is Love half a decade later—and this album is firmly planted in the urban contemporary world of 1987. The production is sleeker and much more high-tech, using synthesizers and drum machines extensively; the material is generally poppier, yet the influence of hip-hop often asserts itself.
In 1982, hip-hop was still underground and enjoyed a small cult following; by 1987, it was huge thanks to million-selling rappers like Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. Saying that This Is Love is hip-hop-influenced is not to say that Clemmons features rappers; rather, the influence of hip-hop often asserts itself rhythmically and is heard in some of the electronic production techniques. There was no hip-hop influence at all on Angela Clemmons, whereas on much of This Is Love, hip-hop influences many of the beats even without any actual rapping.
This Is Love yielded two singles: the title track (a romantic quiet storm ballad) and an infectious remake of Sister Sledge’s 1983 hit “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby).” Neither were major hits for Clemmons, yet between the two singles, it was evident that she could still handle uptempo dance grooves and romantic quiet storm material equally well. But while Angela Clemmons contained more quiet storm performances than dance grooves, This Is Love is just the opposite. On this album, there are more uptempo performances than ballads and slow jams. Clemmons makes funky, uptempo grooves a high priority this time—not only on “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby),” but also, on “I Could Love You Better,” “Rock and a Hard Place,” “Nothing Can Stop My Love,” “Miracles” and “Love Life.” None of those selections have the 1970s-minded disco-soul aesthetic that prevailed on “Give Me Just a Little More Time”; when Clemmons makes the dance floor a high priority on This Is Love, she is clearly mindful of 1987 tastes rather than late 1970s/early 1980s tastes. “One Night Baby” has a hook that recalls the post-disco sound of the early 1980s, yet the high-tech production is obviously characteristic of the urban contemporary scene of 1987.
There are only two ballads on This Is Love: the abovementioned title track, and a performance of Montreal-born singer/producer/songwriter Aldo Nova’s “Just Have a Heart.” The latter is closely identified with French-Canadian adult contemporary star Céline Dion, who recorded a French-language version of the song in 1987 (in French, it is titled “Partout Je Te Vois”) and recorded it en anglais three years later on her Unison album of 1990. Clemmons’ version of “Just Have a Heart” is more R&B-friendly, combining urban contemporary and adult contemporary.
The producers on This Is Love include, among others, Shep Pettibone (who produced “Rock and a Hard Place” and “One Night Baby”) and Amir Bayyan, who produced “Miracles” and “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby).” Nova is a producer on this album as well, which is interesting in light of the fact that in the 1980s, he was better known for pop-metal, arena rock and hair bands than he was for urban contemporary. But when one considers that, in 1987, many R&B singers were making a concerted effort to cross over to the pop market, Nova’s presence on this album makes perfect sense.
This Is Love, which wasn’t the big seller Clemmons and her admirers hoped it would be, marked the end of her association with Portrait/Epic Records—and she hasn’t recorded any albums since then. But while neither Angela Clemmons nor This Is Love were blockbusters, she has a long list of behind-the-scenes credentials. Clemmons has done an abundance of jingles for commercials over the years, and she has provided background vocals for major artists who range from George Benson, Vanesse Thomas (daughter of Rufus Thomas and sister of Carla Thomas), Aretha Franklin and Vanessa Williams on the R&B side to Cyndi Lauper and Jewel on the pop-rock side.
In 2012, Clemmons has a successful career as a real estate agent in Connecticut, where she still lives. But she continues to sing on the side, performing secular music as well as gospel. Clemmons did a lot of singing in church when she was growing up in Connecticut in the 1960s and 1970s (her father was a Protestant minister), and even though Angela Clemmons was a secular album, African-American gospel clearly influenced her vocal style. The gospel influence isn’t as prominent or as overt on This Is Love, yet it’s there nonetheless if one looks closely.
This Is Love may not have been the big commercial breakthrough that Clemmons was hoping for. But 25 years later, it remains an enjoyable document of what she had to offer the urban contemporary scene of 1987.
—Alex Henderson, October 2012
Alex Henderson’s work has appeared in Billboard, Spin, Creem, The L.A. Weekly, The All Music Guide, JazzTimes, HITS, AlterNet, Jazziz, CD Review, Black Beat, Music Connection, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE), Latin Style, The New York City Jazz Record and many other well- known publications.
Copyright 2022 Alex V. Henderson. All rights reserved.
Alex V. Henderson
Philadelphia, PA
vixenatr