Alex Henderson

Cheryl Lynn

Preppie

Thanks to the success of her 1978 smash and debut single, “Got to Be Real,” Cheryl Lynn’s name continues to be closely identified with the Disco Era. “Got to Be Real” went down in history as one of the Disco Era’s definitive anthems and has been included on numerous disco compilations. But Lynn’s legacy, truth be told, has as much to do with soul, funk and urban contemporary as it does with disco, and her popularity clearly outlived the Disco Era. In fact, the Los Angeles native and former “Gong Show” contestant (“The Gong Show” was arguably the late 1970s’ answer to “American Idol”) was quite visible in 1983, which saw the release of her fifth album for Columbia Records, Preppie, and the infectious hit single, “Encore.” Written, produced and arranged by the iconic team of James Harris III, a.k.a. Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, “Encore” soared to #1 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #6 on Billboard’s dance singles chart.

Lynn’s first #1 R&B hit since “Got to Be Real” five years earlier, “Encore” is a shining example of how prolific Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were in the 1980s. 1983 was a busy year for the Minneapolis-based producer/songwriters, who had become major funk-rock stars as members of The Time and played on that Prince-associated band’s first two albums (The Time in 1981 and What Time Is It? in 1982). Two songs that Jam & Lewis wrote and produced for the SOS Band in 1983, “Just Be Good to Me” and “Tell Me If You Still Care,” became major hits—and the success of “Encore” only added to the popularity of Jam & Lewis, who went on score major hits for Janet Jackson, Cherrelle, the Human League, Alexander O’Neal, the Force MDs and many others. In 1983 (the year they parted company with The Time), Jam & Lewis were well on their way to becoming one of the decade’s hottest R&B production/songwriting teams thanks to their work with Lynn and the SOS Band. Indeed, “Encore’s” success helped Preppie reach #8 on Billboard’s R&B albums yet, and it demonstrated that there was life after The Time for Jam & Lewis.

Yet Preppie’s main producer was not Jam or Lewis, but Lynn herself. And while Lynn employed various songwriters on Preppie and used Michael McGloiry for much of the arranging, she took a very hands-on approach and co-wrote four of the songs: “Love Rush,” “Fix It,” “Free” and the title track. Lynn (who turned 26 in 1983) clearly had no desire to rest on her laurels at that point in her career, and she sounds as comfortable on energetic dance-funk offerings such as “Fix It” (not to be confused with the Teena Marie hit from 1983), “Love Rush,” “Change the Channel” (which hints at the Solar Records sound) and “Life’s Too Short” as she does on the smooth quiet storm ballads “No One Else Will Do” and “This Time.” Released as a single, “This Time” was not a huge hit but did make it to #49 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and enjoyed some exposure on quiet storm stations in the United States. Lynn’s quiet storm credentials are also underscored by the romantic slow jam “Fool a Fool.”

Because most of her major singles were hits on the dance floor (including “Got to Be Real,” “Encore” and 1981’s Ray Parker, Jr.-produced “Shake It Up Tonight”), Lynn has tended to have a reputation as a dance diva. But she is also an excellent ballad singer, which was evident when, in 1982, she teamed up with the late Luther Vandross (the top romantic soul man of the 1980s) for a popular remake of the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit “If This World Were Mine” (a single from Lynn’s Vandross-produced fourth album, Instant Love). “If This World Were Mine” was actually a bigger hit for Vandross and Lynn than it was for Gaye and Terrell, serving as a reminder of the fact that Lynn was no lightweight when it came to romantic soul ballads. And on Preppie, she offered additional evidence of that fact with her expressive performances on “No One Else Will Do” and “This Time.”

Preppie is not only successful from an R&B standpoint—it also finds Lynn incorporating pop-rock on occasion. The quirky, playful title track (which was released as a single and went to #85 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart) is a perfect example of the influence that new wave rock was having on some R&B artists in the early to mid-1980s, a period that found everyone from Prince, The Time and Vanity 6 to Shalamar, Rick James, Donna Summer and the Pointer Sisters combining R&B with new wave elements. Although Preppie’s title song was not a big radio hit, it did enjoy some club exposure and was perfect for the type of new wave dance clubs where one could expect to hear Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me with Science” or Gary Numan’s “Cars” one minute and Shalamar’s “Dead Giveaway,” Prince’s “Delirious” or the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance” the next. Meanwhile, “Free” (not to be confused with Deniece Williams’ hit ballad from 1976) is an exuberant dance-funk groove with a rock edge and a burning electric guitar solo. “Free” isn’t as overtly new wave-minded as “Preppie,” but the rock influence is there nonetheless. And that rock influence doesn’t make the song any less funky.

With CD reissues, a big part of the fun is checking out the bonus tracks—and Funkytown Grooves’ reissue of Preppie contains four of them: an eight-minute dance mix of “Encore,” a 12” single version of “Free” and two 12” dance mixes of the title song. Both dance mixes of “Preppie” would be right at home at an 1980s-themed new wave dance party and are perfect for anyone who is in the mood for some 1980s nostalgia.

From uptempo dance-funk grooves to romantic soul/quiet storm ballads to unexpected flirtations with new wave, Preppie demonstrates that 1983 was a very productive year for Cheryl Lynn. 

—Alex Henderson, October 2012