Alex Henderson

Kashif

Love Changes

Even if Kashif had never performed as a singer or recorded any albums of his own, his impact on 1980s R&B would have been momentous. The Brooklyn native had a long list of behind-the-scenes accomplishments as a producer and/or songwriter in the 1980s, scoring major hits for George Benson (“Inside Love”), Melba Moore (“Love’s Comin’ at Ya”), Whitney Houston (“You Give Good Love”), Howard Johnson (“So Fine”) and others. But thankfully, Kashif also had his career as a vocalist, which started with his self-titled debut album in 1983 and was still going strong when Arista Records released his fourth solo album, Love Changes, in 1987.

Kashif, who was born Michael Jones in 1959 and changed his name to Kashif Saleem after converting to Islam, first made his mark in the R&B world playing keyboards for the funk-dance band BT Express in the 1970s. But Kashif went for a change of direction after leaving BT Express. While BT Express were clearly a party band, the Kashif who emerged in the early 1980s was a more ethereal and romantic type of artist—which is not to say that he was as ballad-heavy in his approach as Luther Vandross or Freddie Jackson. Kashif was a major contributor to 1980s synth-funk, yet even at his funkiest and most danceable, he often had a decidedly romantic outlook. And that holds true on Love Changes, which reached #17 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart and gave us three well-known hits: “Reservations for Two” (a duet with Dionne Warwick), “Love Me All Over” (a #14 R&B hit in Billboard) and the classic title track.

Whether Kashif is getting into an energetic, hip-hop-influenced synth-funk groove on “Loving You Only” (which features rapper Doug E. Fresh), “Who’s Getting Serious?,” “Fifty Ways to Fall in Love” and “Vacant Heart” or getting into ballad/slow jam mode on “Somebody,” “It All Begins Again,” “Love Me All Over,” “Reservations for Two” and the title song, Love Changes is very much a reflection of the romantic perspective that Kashif brought to the table in the 1980s. That romantic mood is also exemplified by the lush instrumental “Midnight Mood,” which features saxophonist Kenny G.

Boasting a guest appearance by singer Meli’sa Morgan, “Love Changes” was a remake of a gem that was written by the late Skip Scarborough and originally recorded by the Atlanta-based funk-rock band Mother’s Finest in 1978 (Scarborough also wrote “Can’t Hide Love” for Earth, Wind & Fire and “Love Ballad” for LTD). Mother’s Finest, whose music combines soul and funk with guitar-crunching hard rock and heavy metal, have a distinctive sound that could be described as a combination of Led Zeppelin, Sly & the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix and Ike & Tina Turner. Mother’s Finest have never achieved as much commercial success as they deserve; back in the 1970s and 1980s, they were often told that their work was too funky for album rock stations and too rock for R&B stations. But “Love Changes,” a straight-up soul ballad, became their biggest hit, peaking at #26 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. However, “Love Changes” was a bigger hit for Kashif and Morgan and made it all the way to #2 on that same chart. While all of the lead vocals on the original Mother’s Finest version were provided by singer Joyce Kennedy, Kashif and Morgan approach Scarborough’s song as a male/female duet.

The album’s other hit male/female duet, “Reservations for Two,” finds Kashif and Warwick very much in sync. While “Love Changes” is hardcore soul, the sentimental “Reservations for Two” combines R&B and adult contemporary—and the ballad was actually more of a pop hit than an R&B hit. “Reservations for Two” reached #20 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart but made it to #7 on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart. Similarly, “Love Me All Over” and “It All Begins Again” both blend quiet storm and adult contemporary elements. 

Kashif’s willingness to feature Doug E. Fresh on “Loving You Only” was somewhat daring for 1987. At that point, hip-hop was the new kid on the block and was still controversial in urban contemporary circles; many urban stations wouldn’t play Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J or the Fat Boys even though hip-hop rhythms were having a strong influence on major R&B producers like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and L.A. & Babyface. Of course, that resistance to hip-hop in urban contemporary circles all but disappeared in the 1990s, when R&B and hip-hop became seriously joined at the hip thanks to neo-soulsters such as Mary J. Blige and R. Kelly. These days, the phrase “bangin’ hip-hop and R&B” is a badge of honor for urban stations. But in 1987, it was still unusual for someone with as much quiet storm appeal as Kashif to feature a rapper on one of his recordings—even an MC as famous as Doug E. Fresh.

“Who's Getting Serious?” is a rare example of Kashif interacting with Miami-based producer Lewis A. Martinée (who co-produced the song and is its main engineer) and the female trio Exposé (who provide background vocals). Martinée was the brains behind Exposé; he assembled the group’s original lineup (Alé Lorenzo, Laurie Miller and the late Sandée Casañas) as well as the more famous Jeanette Jurado/Ann Curless/Gioia Bruno lineup heard on “Who’s Getting Serious?”—and Martinée’s work with Exposé did a lot to popularize Latin freestyle (a salsa-flavored style of dance-pop). Yet “Who's Getting Serious?” doesn’t have Martinée’s usual Latin-flavored approach; the tune is pure Kashif.

This expanded edition of Love Changes contains several bonus tracks, including extended versions of “Loving You Only,” “Love Me All Over” and the title song. Certainly, the word “love” is used a great deal on this album, which is not surprising coming from Kashif. He did, after all, enjoy a reputation for being one of R&B’s preeminent lover men of the 1980s—and whatever the tempo, he has no problem living up to that reputation throughout Love Changes.

—Alex Henderson, August 2012

Alex Henderson is a veteran journalist whose 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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