Alex Henderson

Keni Burke
Changes  (Expanded Edition)

In a perfect world, Keni Burke would have become as famous for his solo output as he was for his contributions to two well-known groups: the Five Stairsteps and later, the Invisible Man’s Band. The Chicago native certainly had a track record: the Five Stairsteps (a family group) enjoyed a major hit in 1970 with “O-o-h Child” (which made it to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart), and in 1980, IMB’s disco-funk jam “All Night Thing” was both a dance club favorite and a #9 R&B hit in Billboard. Yet as a solo artist, Burke (born September 28, 1953) had a hard time gaining traction.

Burke’s first solo album, a self-titled LP that came out on ex-Beatle George Harrison’s Dark Horse Records in 1977, flew under the radar—and after that, RCA Records released two underexposed solo albums by Burke: You’re the Best in 1981 and Changes in 1982. But the history of the music industry teaches us that underexposed albums can also be high-quality albums, and the Burke fans who were lucky enough to hear Changes 31 years ago loved what they heard.

Changes (which was recorded mostly at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia) contained Burke’s best-known solo single: the sleek yet funky “Risin’ to the Top,” which peaked at #63 R&B in Billboard. But “Risin’ to the Top” cannot be judged by its chart performance alone: the song was a regional hit in the Midwest, and it has been sampled by major artists ranging from neo-soul singer Mary J. Blige on her #5 R&B hit “Love No Limit” in 1992 to rapper Doug E. Fresh on his single “Keep Risin’ to the Top” in 1988 and rapper LL Cool J on his 1990 hit “Around the Way Girl.”

Burke takes a very hands-on approach on Changes: in addition to his producing and arranging, he wrote or co-wrote all of the material—and that includes energetic dance-funk grooves like “Can’t Get Enough (Do It All Night),” the title track, “All Night” and the single “Shakin’” as well as romantic ballads and slow jams such as “One Minute More” and “Who Do You Love.” Burke co-wrote “One Minute More” with the late Philadelphian Linda Creed (who is remembered for co-writing a long list of smash hits for the Stylistics, the Spinners and others), and he co-wrote the funky, mid-tempo “Hang Tight” with Philly native Allan Wayne Felder. Meanwhile, “Risin’ to the Top” was written by Burke, Felder, keyboardist Dean Paul Gant, a.k.a. Sir Gant, and former Chic member Norma Jean Wright, who performed on Chic’s 1977 classics “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” and “Everybody Dance” and had a solo hit in 1978 with “Saturday.”

An impressive list of musicians back Burke on Changes, including Gant, drummer Steve Ferrone (of Average White Band fame), the late alto saxophonist Don Myrick (who was part of Earth, Wind & Fire’s horn section, the Phenix Horns), percussionist Leonard “Doc” Gibbs (a fixture on the Philly scene in the 1970s and 1980s), and the late trombonist Louis Satterfield. The album’s background vocalists include Tawatha Agee (who was a member of James Mtume’s band Mtume and sang lead on their biggest hit, “Juicy Fruit,” in 1983) and three singers who appeared on countless R&B sessions in Philly in the 1970s: Carla Benson, Barbara Ingram (who died in 1994) and Evette L. Benton. Collectively, Benson, Ingram and Benton were known as “The Sweethearts of Sigma” because they appeared on so many sessions at Sigma Sound back in the day.

During a November 2013 interview, the New Jersey-based Benson discussed her contributions to Changes (including the backing vocals on “Risin’ to the Top”) 31 years ago. Benson remembers the early 1980s as turbulent times for the music industry but stresses that Burke was a pleasure to work with. “In 1981 and 1982, the industry on the whole was having a nervous breakdown trying to figure where to go from disco,” Benson recalls. “Disco was fizzling. We could see that disco was done from where it had been, and there was nothing new that was filling that void. Hip-hop was just a baby, not even having its real legs yet—and nobody was taking it seriously. That’s why I say that the music industry had a nervous breakdown: there was just this time period when there was nothing new and viable and acceptable—and we got caught up in that. But ‘Risin’ to the Top’ was fabulous. The hook was fabulous, and we knew there was just something about that song. I think we all knew that there was just something about ‘Rising to the Top’ that was going to make it a classic.”

Although “Risin’ to the Top” wasn’t a major chartbuster back in 1982, Benson notes that the song has lived on in numerous R&B and hip-hop samples. “‘Rising to the Top’ is a good song, and all these years later, the kids are still sampling it,” Benson asserts. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been sampled. When you hear ‘Rising to the Top’ all these years later, you know it’s a classic.”

Back in 1982, RCA released Changes as an eight-song LP. But FunkyTownGrooves’ 2013 reissue expands Burke’s third solo album to an 11-song CD with the addition of three bonus tracks: the 7” single versions of “Risin’ to the Top,” “Can’t Get Enough (Do It All Night)” and “Shakin’.”

After Changes, Burke parted company with RCA and took a long break from recording. However, he returned to the studio in 1998 with his fourth solo album, Nothin’ But Love, which was released by Expansion Records (a British label). Sadly, his older brother Clarence Burke, Jr. (who he performed with in both the Five Stairsteps and the Invisible Man’s Band) died in May 2013 at the age of 64. But Keni Burke, who is now 60, is alive and well and based in Atlanta—and Benson still has fond memories of working with him on Changes.

 “Keni was very easy to work with,” Benson recalls. “Keni’s spirit was just so sweet and so gentle and so giving. He was just a joy. The creativity could just flow. Keni knew what he was doing.”

—Alex Henderson, December 2013

Alex Henderson’s work has appeared in Billboard, Spin, Creem, The L.A. Weekly, JazzTimes, Jazziz, Salon.com, 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, Jazz Inside Magazine and many other well-known publications. Henderson (alexvhenderson.com) also contributed several thousand CD reviews to The All Music Guide’s popular website and series of music reference books.