Deanne Keanne makes a fabulous new version of my 1989 Motorcity classic, which finally became a pop hit in 1991, originally sung by an obscure early Motown artist called Frances Nero, who hadn't recorded for twenty three years, a wonderful song called "Footsteps Following Me", which came out on Motorcity Records before it was picked up by my best friend Ralph Tee for Debut Records. I first found Deanne last year to record a song which I wrote with Damon Rochefort back in 1993 called "Right Place Wrong Time", which Soren Jensen kept telling me I should redo, and which ended up becoming the most outrageous video we have ever made. Deanne makes her living as a Diana Ross impersonator, and has toured America and won awards. The song was written for an artist called Dee Jacobee, who was signed to Mercury. Dee was a wonderful Disco Diva but her records never came out. Fourteen years later, and Soren Jensen, when learning we were doing "Disco 2008", said we simply had to use that song and re-record it from scratch. I always pictured Diana Ross singing it, and the great lady has always been the artist I have most wanted to produce all my life. Well I might not be getting my wish, but Deanne came pretty damn close. So here's our second recording with her. This song takes what was basically a great soul song that appealed to both Northern Soul and Disco audiences, and gives it new life. Deanne redid this particular song for the iconic album, "Yesterday And Tomorrow", which is probably the most dear to my heart project that I have ever undertaken. I decided after thirty three years since I made my very first record, "Reaching For The Best" by The Exciters, to take a trip back down memory lane and recut thirty of my classics on artists who I am currently working with, reinterpreting them in 2008 without losing the magic that made them special in the first place. It's a totally self indulgent project, but one which already has my fans salivating with delight. I first got the idea when I recut Evelyn Thomas's wonderful classic "Have A Little Faith In Me" with Ebony Alleyne, last year. So in total there is twenty four songs for the CD and six more for the DVD, picking either my biggest hits, my most beloved tracks, or the songs which people most requested to see a video. As I must clearly explain, these are not the original versions. And that's what makes the project exciting and new. These are new interpretations of the classics, by Centre City's current roster of artists, built up over a thirty three year career of making records.
REACHING FOR THE BEST - WEAK SPOT - YOUR MAGIC PUT A SPELL ON ME - BABY I'M STILL THE SAME MAN - HE'S SO IRREPLACEABLE - MY HEAD'S IN THE STARS - NO WAY OUT - LOOKS LIKE LOVE IS HERE TO STAY - I'M IN WONDERLAND- TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY - MY CLAIM TO FAME - TRUE LOVE IS MY DESTINY - NEVER LET GO - NEW YORK'S ON FIRE - SO MANY MEN SO LITTLE TIME - HIGH ENERGY - HE'S A SAINT HE'S A SINNER - ON A CROWDED STREET - CLOSE TO PERFECTION - ALL OVER THE WORLD - MY HEART KEEPS BEATING FASTER - TECHNICOLOUR - FOOTSTEPS FOLLOWING ME - I FOUND HEAVEN - MORE TO THIS WORLD - FAN THE FLAME - I CAN'T ERASE THE THOUGHTS OF YOU - DANCING ON THE EDGE OF A DREAM - RUNNING IN ANOTHER DIRECTION - WALKING ON AIR.
The album, "Yesterday And Tomorrow" was released on Centre City Records, exclusively through the new website, http://www.ianlevine.co.uk and is now available on iTunes. I hope you will all consider supporting it.
