At Long Last!
M. | The Lou, Missouri United States | 12/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was already familiar with Fonzi as a Chic background vocalist - not to mention his lead on Chic's "Soup For One" soundtrack ("I Work For A Livin'") and also "Tongue In Chic" ("Everybody Say Chic").
I heard later on that he did an album of his own, but never saw it in the stores. For a long time, I wondered what the music sounded like assuming that Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers wrote and produced the entire set. NOT! They did, however, make significant contributions to the production.
In fact, the music shows a variety of influences from Kashif (especially "Uh-Oh...There Goes My Heart) to Luther (as in Vandross) - he and Fonzi were friends and both sang back-up in Chic. You can hear Lutha' all over "Be My Baby" and "Sayin' Goodbye To Lonely Nights". In fact these songs sound as if they might have been written for Mr. Vandross (to me); they just have "that sound", ya' know.
The title track and "Perfect Lover" have Chic nuances. I guess so, since Nile and 'Nard did the rhythm arrangements. The former has also has a touch of Luther in it, particularly in the verses. I mean, you can tell they've sung together and that Fonzi has been clearly influenced by him. He might not be that to which he aspires to many a listener, but he does the music justice. The liner notes, written mostly in Japanese, references Luther's "Never Too Much".
"Perfect Lover" sounds like something that Nile Rodgers would've done on his solo material. The whistling melody is so catchy and Nile's guitar work shines clearly throughout the song! This is one of my favorite cuts on the CD!
Another voice that comes through is none other than Tawatha Agee (of Mtume fame - BTW, she also sang backup for Chic on "Believer"). You can hear her particularly on "Forever Like This" - the best song on the CD.
It seems as though everybody who's ever worked with Chic worked on this album in some capacity...and that's not a bad thing at all.
This album deserved far more credit than it apparently got when it was released. The music is slick and Fonzi's vocal delivery is great. This is a true collector's item. And at long last, I have collected it!"
Amazing overlooked 80s soul - a longtime collaborator with L
G. Mitchell | Los Angeles, CA United States | 10/18/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you know Luther, you know Fonzi - but you might not know his amazing, long-lost, hard-to-find, Japan-only-CD-reissue of his early 80s soul masterpiece, THE LEADER - track after track, Fonzi delivers in signature style: confident, assertive vocals over crisp, plush, electro-funky Kashif-style grooves - what's not to like? Criminally ignored, sadly underrated, Fonzi's solo album/CD deserves to be heard!"
The Leader is........
G. Mitchell | 05/23/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Starting with the title track, and also the album's title, "The Leader" with The Warriors (a girls drill team) from The Bronx in New York, you gonna be freaked out. And when "Jocelyn Brown" adds on "Chile, he's a mess" to this song it cannot be left alone. This album from '83 will bring you back to what is was all about, nowadays it's hard to find. The 2nd title "Be My Baby (Phil Spector)" is a renewal which is more uptempo, and brought by Fonzi itself. "Beverly", "There Goes My Heart (UH-OH)" and "Perfect Lover" have the same taste, "Sayin Goodbye (To Lonely Nites) moves a little bit slower. "Sha 'N' Da (Happy Love Song) and "Forever Like This" will probably make you to love your partner more. Fonzi Thornton is at least at the same level as their well known contributers for this album, Luther Vandross, Kashif, Marcus Miller, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. I own an original "Vinyl" of this one in a very good state (in '83 I didn't had the choice to buy the 24k mastered cd), but if you can spend the money buy this delicious album."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1