''What Cha' Gonna Do for Me'' is the
Gold certified third solo album by
American R&B/
funk singer
Chaka Khan, released on the
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
label in 1981.
Overview
Three singles were released from ''What Cha' Gonna Do'': the
Beatles cover "
We Can Work It Out
"We Can Work It Out" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was first issued as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in December 1965. It also appeared on the 1966 US release '' Yesterd ...
" (US R&B #34), the McCrarys cover "
Any Old Sunday" (#68) and the album's title track which became a number one hit on ''
Billboard'' R&B Singles chart. On Billboard's charts, the album reached #3 on Black Albums, #33 on Jazz Albums, and #17 on Pop Albums. This would be Chaka's highest charting album until her 1980s-era breakthrough ''
I Feel For You''. Its popularity among jazz audiences was likely due to the inclusion of the
Dizzy Gillespie composition "Night In Tunisia" with a guest appearance by Gillespie himself as well as what today would be called a 'sample' of
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
's legendary four bar
alto break from his 1946 recording of the title. Khan's vocal interpretation also features lyrics written by the singer herself. This album was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female in 1981.
Chaka Khan @ The Envelope Awards Database
(Page 2)
The instrumental intro to "Fate
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
" has been sampled by a host of dance acts all through the 1990s and 2000s, most notably by Stardust on their 1998 hit single " Music Sounds Better With You" and a section of "I Know You I Live You" also features on "Bad Habit" by ATFC & Onephatdeeva feat. Lisa Milett.
Reissues
''What Cha' Gonna Do For Me'' has only been re-issued on CD in both Europe and Japan. The album has yet to see a CD release in the United States, but did become domestically available digitally shortly after Khan won multiple Grammys for her 2007 album '' Funk This''.
In 2016, Big Break Records re-issued the album as an expanded edition with special liner notes, rare photos, and containing three bonus tracks: "Only Once", "Lover's Touch" and "I Know You, I Live You (Remix)". Though the remix of "I Know You, I Live You" was previously released on '' Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project'', the other two were only available on 7" singles until the Big Break reissue. "Lover's Touch" was the B-Side of "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" in the US, and "Only Once" was the B-Side of "We Can Work It Out."
Track listing
Personnel
* Chaka Khan - vocals, background vocals
* Steve Ferrone – drums all tracks except 1, 6
* Anthony Jackson – bass all tracks except 1, 6
* David Williams – guitar all tracks except 1, 6
* Hamish Stuart
James Hamish Stuart (born 8 October 1949) is a British guitarist, bassist, singer, composer and record producer. He was an original member of the Average White Band.
Biography
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Stuart attended Queens Park School in ...
– guitar all tracks except 1, 6
* Larry Williams
Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...
- keyboards, flute, saxophone, synthesizer all tracks except 1, 6
Track 1: “We Can Work It Out”
Drums - Ray Pounds
Keyboards ll Synthesizer ini Moog Bass- Greg Phillinganes
Guitar – Mike Sembello
Percussion – Paulinho da Costa
Arranged By tring Arrangement– Arif Mardin
Horn Arrangement – Larry Williams
Horns rass, Reeds– Bill Reichenbach, Gary Grant, Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Hall, Larry Williams
Arranged By tring Arrangement– Arif Mardin
Concert Master - Gene Orloff
Gene Orloff (June 14, 1921 – March 23, 2009) was an American violinist, concertmaster, arranger, contractor and session musician.
Background
The son of a Russian immigrant violin maker, Orloff would try and get his father's violin down from the ...
Track 2: “What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me”
Synthesizer – Bob Christianson
Percussion – Crusher Bennett
Tenor Saxophone enor Sax Solo Soloist – Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...
Arranged By orn Arrangement– Arif Mardin
Horns rass, Reeds– Barry Rodgers, Lou Delgatto, Lou Soloff, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker
Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B.
Early life
Brecker was born on No ...
Track 3, 10: “I Know You, I Live You”
Percussion – Crusher Bennett, Chaka Khan
Arranged By orn Arrangement Saxophone – Larry Williams
Trumpet – Jerry Hey
Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'', '' Rock with You'' ...
Track 4: “Any Old Sunday”
Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker
Track 5: “We Got Each Other”
Vocals uet Vocal– Mark Stevens
Arranged By orn Arrangement Saxophone – Larry Williams
Trumpet – Jerry Hey
Track 6: “And The Melody Still Lingers On (Night In Tunisia)”
Drums – Casey Scheuerell
Casey Scheuerell is an American jazz, rock and new-age drummer and percussionist.
Scheuerell lived in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin in the 1970s. He has toured internationally with several musicians.
Discography
* '' A Pauper in Paradise'' (Gino Va ...
Bass – Abraham Laboriel
Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...
Electric Piano – Ronnie Foster
Ronnie Foster (born May 12, 1950) is an American funk and soul jazz organist, and record producer. His albums recorded for Blue Note Records in the 1970s have gained a cult following after the emergence of acid jazz.
Early life
Foster was born ...
Keyboards lavitar Solo, Break Synthesizer berheim Bells– Herbie Hancock
Percussion – Paulinho da Costa
Synthesizer ini Moog Bass, Prophet 5– David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie
Track 7: "Night Moods"
Arranged By tring Arrangement– Arif Mardin
Concert Master - Gene Orloff
Track 8: “Heed The Warning”
Synthesizer oog Synthesizer Soloist olo– David Richards
Track 9: “Fate”
Clavinet – Richard Tee
Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as "In Your Eyes", " Sl ...
Guitar uitar Solo Soloist – Hiram Bullock
Hiram Law Bullock (September 11, 1955 – July 25, 2008) was an American guitarist known mainly for playing in jazz funk and jazz fusion, but he also worked as a session musician in a variety of genres.
Biography
Bullock was born in Osaka, Jap ...
Percussion – Crusher Bennett
Synthesizer – David Richards
Non-album tracks
* "Lover's Touch" — B-side of single "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" (WBS 49692) (Taylor) - 4:31
* "Only Once" — B-side of single "We Can Work It Out" (WBS 49759) (Ruff, Ruff, Kaplan) - 3:55
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
External links
*
What Cha' Gonna Do for Me
' at Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
{{Authority control
1981 albums
Chaka Khan albums
Albums produced by Arif Mardin
Warner Records albums