''The Makeover'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Jody Watley, released on Avitone Records. Watley recruited a diverse group of contemporary dance and electronica producers for the project, among them

King Britt King Britt (born 1968) is an American educator, DJ and record producer from Philadelphia. Biography Britt is a 1986 graduate of Central High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1987, he started working at Tower Records, as a buyer for th ...

DJ Spinna Vincent E. Williamsbetter known by his stage name DJ Spinna, is an American hip hop and deep house producer from Brooklyn. According to Allmusic, he has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent." Life and career Spi ...

and

4hero 4hero are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as ''4 Hero'' or ''4-Hero'', the name is stylised as ''4hero'' on their albums and ...

. The album's vintage aesthetic, which saw her take the old and remake it as new, was likely foretold in Watley's updating of her signature classic, "

Looking for a New Love "Looking for a New Love" is a song by American dance-pop singer Jody Watley. It was released in January 1987 as the first single from her eponymous debut album. The song became one of the biggest pop and R&B singles of 1987. Watley re-recorded ...

", in 2005. As per the title, ''The Makeover'' contained newly recorded (and remixed) versions of some of Watley's signature classics like "

Don't You Want Me "Don't You Want Me" is a song by British synthpop group the Human League (credited on the cover as The Human League 100). It was released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album, ''Dare'' (1981). The band's best k ...

" and " Friends" (re-dubbed "Friendz"), as well as new material. Additionally, Watley paid tribute to musical influences like Diana Ross,

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

and

Karen Carpenter Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was prais ...

on the covers "

Love Hangover "Love Hangover" is a song by the Motown singer Diana Ross, recorded in 1975 and released as a single on March 16, 1976. It rose to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot-Selling Soul Singles. It also hit number one on the Record World ...

", " I Want Your Love" and a medley of the Carpenters' songs, respectively.

Background

''The Makeover'', from its title to its photo media, was a

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...

commentary on the ever-growing

makeover A makeover is a radical change in appearance. When the word is used to describe a change in human physical appearance, it may imply a change in clothing, haircut, or cosmetics. A personal makeover might also include weight loss, plastic surgery ...

culture now commonplace in contemporary society. Indeed, the album's photography (contained in the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

) showed Watley theatrically made-up to resemble a cosmetic surgery recipient. These photos caused a bit of a controversy, however, as they were apparently leaked, after which various online gossip columns (most notably the

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

's "Page Six"), had falsely reported that Watley had undergone actual cosmetic surgery. Watley jokingly discussed the controversy in the September 11, 2006 issue of the ''

National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...

''.

Track listings

Singles

The first single to be released from ''The Makeover'' was a

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may b ...

cover of " Borderline", written by Reggie Lucas and an originally a 1984 hit for Madonna. Upon the single's UK release in October 2009, Watley told noted R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul': "'Borderline' is a song I've always liked. Because - even though the way it was originally recorded was very poppy - for me the song always had a melancholy side to it, which I think my version taps into."Jody Watley interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 2009
/ref> The album's second single was " I Want Your Love", a cover of the

classic. The Watley cover was produced by DJ Spinna and featured Chic's own Nile Rodgers on guitar. Supported by dance mixes, the track peaked at #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for the week of June 16, 2007.

Personnel

*Jody Watley – Vocals, backing vocals *Mark Boyce – Moog Synthesizer *

Chris Brann Chris Brann (born March 25, 1972) is an American electronic music producer and remixer. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Brann is known for his work under the monikers Wamdue Project and Ananda Project. Career Chris Brann's teamed up with DJ De ...

– Keyboards, programming *Marc Mac – Piano, rhodes, Arp synthesizer, programming *Luke Parkhouse – Drums, percussion *Brad Munn – Acoustic guitars *Andy Hammill - Double bass *Hillside Stings – Strings * Nile Rodgers – Guitar *

– Drum programming *Selan Lerner – Keyboards *Ali Black – Assistant engineer *Rodney Lee – Programming, keyboards *

Mark De Clive-Lowe Mark de Clive-Lowe (born 16 August 1974) is an American-based Japanese-New Zealand DJ, musician, composer and producer raised in Auckland and now based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Born in Auckland, New Zealand, de Clive-Lowe was r ...

– Instruments, programming *Voshaun Gotti – Flow ;Production *Producers – 4hero, King Britt, Mark De Clive-Lowe, DJ Spinna, Rodney Lee, Chris Brann, Milan "The Mad Scientist" Ross *Executive Producer – Jody Watley *Remixing producers – Bill Coleman, Vinny Troia *Project Coordinator – Van Roy for VRC Entertainment *Photography – Mike Ruiz *Make-Up – Billy B. *Hair – Ruth Roche *Special Effects Makeup – Branan Edgans *Art Direction – Jody Watley, Van Roy *Design – David Stafford

Background

Track listings

Singles

Personnel

Charts

Singles

References

External links