"I Love to Bass" by Bardeux

Song#:  4033

Date:  09/16/1989

Debut:  96

Peak:  68

Weeks:  10

Genre:  Dance-Pop, Freestyle

Pop Bits:  This vocal duo's debut album Bold As Love got a bit of attention (#104) when its second single, "When We Kiss," cracked the Pop Top 40 (#36). It was enough for their label to call for a follow up LP, but prior to heading into the studio one of the members, Lisa "Jaz" Teany, would quit. Remaining member Stacy "Acacia" Smith would find a replacement with Melanie Taylor and work began on a second Bardeux album to be title Shangri-La. Working once again with songwriter/producer Jon St. James, the duo's album would get finished and this first single issued out. It would be a hit at Dance reaching #3 while also making the R&B chart at #32. However, it couldn't quite catch on at Pop and it stalled in the bottom half of the chart. A second single, "Thumbs Up," would make it to #17 Dance/#59 R&B while a third single was a minor Dance entry. The album would peter out early at #133. With those results, Bardeux would come to an end.

ReduxReview:  Depending on what product you look at, the title is either "I Love to Bass" or "I Love the Bass." The 45 single release and the album used "to," that seems more appropriate here. Either way, the song wasn't all that great. It was a tepid freestyle tracks made worse by some pretty awful lyrics. Yeah I know it is just dance-pop fluff and Dylan-esqe lyrics are not needed, but how many times have we heard cliche phrases like "rocket in your pocket" and "love reaction?" I'm just saying they could have put a little more effort into it. In the end it didn't really matter because it was a bland, forgettable track that did little to advance the trio's career.

ReduxRating:  3/10

Trivia:  After Bardeux ended, Melanie Taylor would become a member of Bette Midler's famous backing vocal trio The Harlettes (aka The Staggring Harlettes). The Harlettes became a part of Midler's high energy shows beginning in 1971 and they have remained a fixture of her performances since. The lineup has changed many times over the years and along the way some soon-to-be stars got their starts being a Harlette. Perhaps most famously, singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester was an original Harlette. She stayed on for a couple of years before signing her first recording contract. Singer/actress Katy Sagal (of Married with Children fame) was a Harlette twice; once in '78 then again in '82-'83. R&B singer Jocelyn Brown was with the trio from '79-'80. Singer/actress Jenifer Lewis would be a Harlette in '83-'84. She would appear in many films and TV shows, but perhaps became best known for portraying Anthony Anderson's mother in the hit TV show Black-ish. Melanie Taylor would have one of the longest tenures in the Harlettes staying with them from 1993 to 2000.

_________________________________________________________________________________