Journalist, Political Reporter, Cultural Critic, Editor/Proofreader
Alex V. Henderson
Philadelphia, PA
vixenatr
Johnny Kemp
Johnny Kemp [Expanded Edition)
Johnny Kemp is best known for his 1988 smash “Just Got Paid,” which soared to #1 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and was one of that year’s top party anthems. The Bahamas-born singer was red-hot in 1988, hitting big not only with “Just Got Paid,” but also, with another exuberant single, “Dancin’ with Myself” (a #5 R&B hit in Billboard). 1988 was such a good year for Kemp that it’s no wonder some of his admirers think 1988’s Secrets of Flying was his first album. But in fact, Secrets of Flying was Kemp’s second album—and it was 1986’s Kashif-influenced Johnny Kemp that got the ball rolling and paved the way for the success he enjoyed in 1988.
Kemp was active in music long before he moved to the United States. Born in Nassau in the Bahamas, Kemp began performing in that country when he was only 13. Kemp sang lead with a band called Kinky Fox, but after moving to New York City, he pursued a solo career—and in 1985, Kemp signed a contract with Columbia Records. This self-titled debut album came out the following year, when it enjoyed some exposure thanks to the sleek, danceable singles “Just Another Lover” (which was co-produced and co-written by the prolific Kashif) and “Cover Girl.” Both became minor hits, indicating that Kemp was someone to keep an eye on. And he clearly had an ally in Kashif, who was instrumental in Kemp landing a deal with Columbia Records.
Kashif was one of the top R&B producer/songwriters of the 1980s, helping to bring about major hits for Evelyn “Champagne” King (“Love Come Down,” “I’m in Love”), Howard Johnson (“So Fine”), Melba Moore (“Love’s Comin’ at Ya”), George Benson (“Inside Love”), Whitney Houston (“You Give Good Love”) and others. The Brooklyn native co-produced this album and oversaw the songwriting—and it shows. The Kashif sound is unmistakable on “Just Another Lover” and “Cover Girl” as well as on equally danceable offerings such as “Bring Your Love Around” and “Penthouse Lover.”
Some listeners who are hearing Johnny Kemp for the first time might be surprised to find out that it doesn’t contain any new jack swing, a hip-hop-influenced, heavily electronic style of funk that was wildly popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, “Just Got Paid” (which Kemp co-wrote with the well-known producer and Guy co-founder Teddy Riley) is as definitive an example of new jack swing as Guy’s “Groove Me,” Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative,” Keith Sweat’s “I Want Her,” Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” and Today’s “Him or Me.” Riley was one of the main architects of the new jack swing style, and the Riley aesthetic was impossible to miss on “Just Got Paid.” But in 1986, Kemp was still two years away from recording new jack swing and favored an approach that was much closer to the sleek post-Disco Era funk-dance sound of the early to mid-1980s. And that is the type of sound that Kashif helps Kemp to embrace on “Can’t Get Enough” (which Kashif co-wrote), “Lady in the Shadow” and other songs on this reissue. The production on Johnny Kemp is much more high-tech than the recordings Kashif produced or co-produced in 1981 or 1982, but the songwriting is definitely comparable.
Johnny Kemp isn’t strictly an album of uptempo funk-dance jams. “Anything Worth Having (Is Worth Waiting For),” which was released as a single, is a romantic medium-tempo quiet storm groove along the lines of the Gap Band’s “Outstanding.” And the bouncy “All Night” has a pop-rock influence, reflecting the impact that new wave rock was having on R&B in 1986. That year, even the funk powerhouse Cameo was experimenting with new wave elements; Cameo’s 1986 smash “Word Up” was certainly one of their most rock-influenced hits. And Cameo was hardly the only R&B act that was influenced by new wave during the 1980s; one need only listen to Shalamar’s “Dancing in the Sheets,” Rick James’ “Can’t Stop,” Prince’s “Delirious” or the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance” to hear how much new wave influenced certain R&B artists during that era. So when Kemp combined R&B and new wave on “All Night,” it was very much a reflection of the times.
FunkyTownGrooves’ generously expanded edition of Johnny Kemp contains no less than eight bonus tracks, which include three versions of “Just Another Lover” (a remix, the 7” single version and an instrumental version) and three versions of “Cover Girl” (the 12” and 7” single versions and an instrumental version). Also included among the bonus material are instrumental and 7” single versions of “Anything Worth Having (Is Worth Waiting For).”
After Johnny Kemp in 1986 and Secrets of Flying in 1988, the followers that Kemp had acquired assumed he would go on to build a large catalogue. But surprisingly, that didn’t happen. In 1989, the Kemp recording “Birthday Suit” was included on the soundtrack for the movie Sing and became a minor hit, but those who assumed he would be coming out with a third album in the early 1990s were surprised when he quit recording. Kemp didn’t record a third album in either the 1990s or the 2000s, and as of March 2013, Secrets of Flying remains his most recent album.
However, Kemp has continued to perform live. Kemp made a guest appearance on Keith Sweat’s DVD release Sweat Hotel Live, which finds Kemp joining forces not only with Sweat, but also, with Teddy Riley, the Gap Band’s Charles Wilson and others at a 2006 show in Atlanta (where all of them performed “Just Got Paid” together). And in 2007, Kemp performed “Just Got Paid” at a New York City event that was billed as NJS4E (New Jack Swing 4 Ever).
Secrets of Flying continues to be the album that Kemp is best remembered for, but as this expanded edition of Johnny Kemp demonstrates, he was also a busy man in 1986.
—Alex Henderson, March 2013
Alex Henderson’s work has appeared in Billboard, Spin, Creem, The L.A. Weekly, JazzTimes, Jazziz, AlterNet, Cash Box, HITS, CD Review, Skin Two, Black Beat, The Pasadena Weekly, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE), Music Connection, Latin Style, The New York City Jazz Record and many other well known publications. Henderson (alexvhenderson.com) has also contributed several thousand CD reviews to The All Music Guide’s popular website and series of music reference books.
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Copyright 2022 Alex V. Henderson. All rights reserved.
Alex V. Henderson
Philadelphia, PA
vixenatr