Author: Callie
Jheri Curl June: Alicia Myers’ “Appreciation”
I have a theory that most, if not all, of the best music can be traced back to the Midwest. This is especially true of funk and R&B. In fact, if we put a dot on the map every time we inducted an artist into Jheri Curl June, the biggest clusters of dots would be…
Jheri Curl June: Steve Arrington’s “What Do You Want from Me”
It radiates so much warmth that it could only be on an album called Positive Power. I mean, just look at that beautiful backlit curl! It’s enough to make anyone a believer!
Jheri Curl June: Tomoko Aran’s “ひと夏のタペストリー (Hitonatsu no Tapestry)”
By 1983, R&B was shedding the remnants of Post-Disco and sounding much more cold and synthetic as it entered into the Jheri Curl golden age of the mid-’80s.
Jheri Curl June: Circle City Band’s “Magic”
1983’s “Magic” is one of the funkiest deep tracks I’ve found, with zapping synthesizers and rumbling drums that could only originate in the bowels of the Midwest.
Jheri Curl June: Masayoshi Takanaka’s “Chill Me Out”
A perfect way to cool down on a hot summer evening, with the tinkling synthesizer that hits like ice cubes in a drink on a hot, balmy day.
Jheri Curl June: Troop’s “Mamacita”
Troop, a quintet discovered by none other than previous JCJ inductee Gerald Levert, have the Levert-infused, end-of-’80s New Jack sound that you would expect from… well, a late-era Jheri Curl Music group that was discovered by Gerald Levert.