"Never Miss the Water" is a 1995 recording written by

Gerry DeVeaux Gerry DeVeaux is a Bahamian songwriter/producer and Creative Director. DeVeaux was a contributing editor for style magazine Tatler. He was style consultant for MTV Networks co-hosting shows like MTV Style and contributing to shows like ''Who Wo ...

and

Charlie Mole Charlie Mole is a British/French film and television score composer and songwriter. His scores include ''An Ideal Husband'', '' Othello'', '' The Importance of Being Earnest'', ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', the 2007 and 2009 versions of '' St. Trini ...

, and performed by American singer

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Q ...

. It features vocals by

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

and had previously been unreleased. The song was included in Khan's 1997 greatest hits album '' Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1'' and went to #36 on the US ''

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 adverti ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 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 ...

chart. On the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart, "Never Miss the Water" was Chaka Khan's sixth number one, and was her last until she again reached the summit with "

Disrespectful "Disrespectful" is a song by American recording artist Chaka Khan featuring vocals by singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Bobby Ross Avila, Dave Young and Issiah J. Avila, and produced for Khan's ele ...

" in 2007.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' wrote, "No one can kick like Chaka—and she does it with such astonishing ease. She shines like the diva she is on one of the five new songs on '' Epiphany: The Best Of Chaka Khan''. Produced by

David Gamson David Gamson is an American keyboardist/musician (also a producer, songwriter, arranger, engineer). Originally hailing from New York, he has worked with, among others, Kesha, Kelly Clarkson, Jessie J, Adam Lambert, Chaka Khan, Charli XCX, Meshel ...

, the track cruises at a breezy classic

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

pace, giving Miss Thing plenty of room to work her voice to maximum effect. She is bolstered by a guest rap from

Me'Shell Ndegéocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

, whose chatting between verses adds street spice. The original version sparkles with multiformat hit potential, while

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the ...

comes to the party with a rousing

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

remix that will have Khan's legion of club disciples twirling with delight." British magazine ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' complimented "Never Miss the Water" as a "strong" track. Ralph Tee from the magazine's ''RM'' wrote, "It's not an ' I'm Every Woman' or ' Ain't Nobody', but vocally Chaka still puts virtually every one else to shame."

Charts

Cover versions

In 2003, a cover version credited to

, Shauna Jensen,

Robyn Loau Robyn Loau (; born 20 October 1972) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. From 1991 to 1994, she was lead singer of pop group Girlfriend, Note: n-lineversion established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expa ...

and Michal Nicolas was released in Australia as the official anthem for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

References

1997 singles 2003 singles Chaka Khan songs Songs written by Gerry DeVeaux 1997 songs Songs written by Charlie Mole Electronic songs House music songs Meshell Ndegeocello songs {{1990s-R&B-song-stub

Critical reception

Charts

Cover versions

See also

References