''Melba'' is the eighth album by singer

Melba Moore Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba Smith (sources differ) (born October 29, 1945), known by her stage name Melba Moore, is an American singer and actress. Biography Early life and education Moore was born Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba ...

, released in 1978.

Overview

Between 1975 and 1977, Moore had recorded four albums for

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

, the last three of which had been

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

-oriented with the title cut of her 1976 album '' This Is It'' providing Moore with her first glimmer of recording success. Moore's fourth album for Buddah, the 1977 release ''

A Portrait of Melba ''A Portrait of Melba'' is the seventh album by singer Melba Moore, released in 1977. Background Moore's fourth album for Buddah Records, ''A Portrait of Melba'' - like Moore's two 1976 Van McCoy-produced albums - primarily aimed the singer at ...

'', helmed by the virtuoso

Philly soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featu ...

production/songwriting team of

McFadden & Whitehead McFadden and Whitehead were an American R&B duo, best known for their signature tune "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". They wrote and produced some of the most popular R&B hits of the 1970s, and were primarily associated with the Gamble and Huff re ...

- ie.

Gene McFadden Gene McFadden (January 28, 1949 – January 27, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as one of the key members of the Philadelphia International record label, and was one-half of the successful team o ...

and John Whitehead - had been a commercial failure which ended Moore's tenure with Buddah. However Moore was expediently signed to

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

who assigned McFadden & Whitehead to again oversee Moore's recording sessions, with Moore's Epic debut album: ''Melba'', recorded at

Sigma Sound Studios Sigma Sound Studios was a recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia. Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States to ...

and released in September 1978. The album's lead single: " You Stepped Into My Life", ranked as high as #5 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' ranking of top disco songs which success translated into Moore's strongest showing on ''Billboards

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

s with respective peaks of #47 and #17: Moore would have number of higher ranked R&B chart singles during the 1980s but "You Stepped Into My Life" would remain her final Hot 100 chart single. The ''Melba'' album itself would be afforded a ''Billboard'' 200 peak of #114: its second single: the McFadden & Whitehead original "Pick Me Up I'll Dance" was a moderate club hit. Despite the comparative success of the ''Melba'' album, Moore's followup album: ''

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

'' (1979), helmed by

Pete Bellotte Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Index ...

, showed a radical and commercially unsuccessful shift toward harder-edged dance music. Moore's musical focus subsequently shifted back to a softer sound, and throughout the 1980's Moore scored a handful of R&B hits without becoming a major star. McFadden & Whitehead would contribute as songwriters and/or producers to Moore's albums: '' Closer'' (1980) and ''

What a Woman Needs ''What a Woman Needs'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer Melba Moore. It was released by EMI America Records on October 12, 1981. Her debut project with the label, it reached number 46 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album ...

'' (1981), and to the singer's 1988 album '' I'm in Love'': also Gene McFadden would produce and co-write Moore's two #1 R&B hits: "

Falling Falling or fallin' may refer to: *Falling (physics), movement due to gravity *Falling (accident) *Falling (execution) *Falling (sensation) People * Christine Falling (born 1963), American serial killer who murdered six children Books * ''Fall ...

" and (with

Freddie Jackson Frederick Anthony Jackson (born October 2, 1956) is an American singer. Originally from New York, Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin. Among his well–known R&B/soul hits are ...

) "

A Little Bit More "A Little Bit More" is a song written and performed by Bobby Gosh, released on his 1973 album ''Sitting in the Quiet''. The first hit version was recorded by the band Dr. Hook; their version was released as a single in 1976. It charted at numbe ...

" both from Moore's 1986 album ''

A Lot of Love ''A Lot of Love'' is the fifteenth album by American singer Melba Moore. It was released by Capitol Records on July 18, 1986. This album featured two number-one R&B hits, including the duet, "A Little Bit More", with Freddie Jackson and "Falling" ...

''.

Track listing

#" You Stepped Into My Life" (

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popul ...

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main le ...

) #"There's No Other Like You" (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen) #"It's Hard Not to Like You" (

Frankie Smith Franklyn Leon Smith (January 29, 1940 – March 8, 2019) was an American funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter. He was best known for his 1981 hit single "Double Dutch Bus". Career Smith went to college in Tennessee for elementary education ...

, Harold Preston, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead) #"Together Forever" (Melba Moore) #"Pick Me Up, I'll Dance" (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Ronald Rose) #"Happy" (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Jerry Cohen) #"I Promise to Love You" (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Jerry Cohen) #"Where Did You Ever Go" (

Dexter Wansel Dexter Gilman Wansel (born August 22, 1950) is an American R&B/jazz fusion singer, arranger, musician, composer, conductor, synthesist and A&R director. Early life Dexter Wansel began as an errand boy backstage at the Uptown Theater in Philade ...

)

Charts

Singles

References

External links

Melba Moore-Forever Yours at Discogs
{{Authority control 1978 albums Melba Moore albums Epic Records albums Albums recorded at Sigma Sound Studios