Chaka Khan - What Cha Gonna Do For Me (2015) [Hi-Res]

34 years ago today, Chaka Khan released the third full-length entry in her solo discography, an effort which featured a title track that took her to the top of the Billboard R&B Singles chart.

Given the remarkable returns she’d earned from working with producer Arif Mardin on her first two albums, 1978’s Chaka and 1980’s Naughty, but in what we’re chalking up to the classic “third time’s the charm” effect, What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me turned out to be the strongest and most consistent collaboration between the pair up to that point.

As noted, the title track co-written by noted ‘70s tunesmith Ned Doheny and Average White Band member Hamish Stuart proved to be a massive hit for Chaka, but the album actually managed to earn an additional pair of R&B Singles chart successes, although neither her cover of the Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” (#34) nor her cover of The McCrarys’ “Any Old Sunday” (#68) came anywhere close to matching “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me.” The album proved to be successful as well, hitting #3 on the Billboard R&B Album chart and giving Chaka what would prove to be her highest charting album until her 1984 mainstream breakthrough, I Feel For You.

What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me also turned out to be pretty big on the jazz charts as well, which is none too surprising when you look at the credits and see names like Michael and Randy Brecker, Herbie Hancock, and Dizzy Gillespie. Indeed, that jazz credibility led Chaka’s next album, Echoes of an Era, to do better on the jazz charts than the R&B charts, but when she released her self-titled album just before the end of 1982, she quickly found herself back in the top five of the R&B Albums chart.

Some would argue that Chaka Khan went on to do better albums over the course of her career, but looking back, it’s evident that What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me is where things really came together for her, and it still sounds great even now.

„As a vocalist, Chaka Khan is the one of the very few who often doesn't need great material to prosper. Thankfully, on What Cha' Gonna Do for Me that isn't the case. Teaming again with Arif Mardin, slowly but surely the two began to craft an even more successful and innovative sound. This effort not only bests the work before it, but it is Mardin's most fulfilling production since 1974's Average White Band. The cover of 'We Can Work It Out' gets a brash and funky Stevie Wonder-style arrangement, with Gregory Phillanganes doing great synth work. The biggest hit here is the melodic title track and has Khan's patented mix of sexiness and intelligent phrasing. The best song here, 'I Know You, I Live You,' displays the brilliant bass and drum team of Anthony Jackson and Steve Ferrone, whose innovation all but rendered Rufus obsolete. Their pounding yet refined sound is also on 'We've Got Each Other,' a hooky and propulsive duet with Khan's brother Mark Stevens. The ambitious and much loved 'And the Melody Still Lingers On (Night in Tunisia)' had Mardin and Khan creating pithy lyrics that paid homage to '40s jazz legends as well as all other subsequent musical geniuses. The track features a clavitar solo from Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, and an 'excerpted' solo break from Charlie Parker. Throughout What Cha' Gonna Do for Me, Mardin seems to get amazing vocals from Khan and has he certainly had fun playing with her voice. What Cha' Gonna Do for Me is arguably the best effort of their partnership.“ (Jason Elias, AMG)

Chaka Khan, Vocals, Background Vocals, Percussion
Michael Brecker, Tenor Saxophone
Randy Brecker, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Hiram Bullock, Guitar, Soloist
Bob Christianson, Synthesizer
Louis del Gatto, Saxophone
David Foster, Synthesizer, Mini Moog, Prophet 5
Ronnie Foster, Electric Piano
Dizzy Gillespie, Trumpet
Gary Grant, Trumpet, Brass, Overdubs
Larry Hall, Trumpet, Overdubs
Herbie Hancock, Keyboards, Bells, Oberheim, Soloist, Breakdown, Clavitar
Jerry Hey, Trumpet
Kim Hutchcroft, Reeds, Saxophone, Overdubs
Gene Orloff, Concert Master
Greg Phillinganes, Keyboards, Rhythm Arrangements, Mini Moog
Bill Reichenbach Jr., Trombone, Overdubs
David Richards, Synthesizer
Barry Rodgers, Trombone
Lew Soloff, Trumpet, Brass
Mark Stevens, Bass, Vocals
Hamish Stuart, Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Richard Tee, Keyboards, Clavinet
Michael Sembello, Guitar
David E. Williams, Guitar
Larry E. Williams, Synthesizer, Flute, Reeds, Keyboards, Saxophone, Overdubs, Horn Arrangements
Anthony Jackson, Bass
Abraham Laboriel, Bass
Steve Ferrone, Drums
Raymond Lee Pounds, Drums
Casey Scheuerell, Drums
Errol 'Crusher' Bennett, Percussion
Paulinho Da Costa, Percussion

Recorded at Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland Additional recording at Atlantic Studios, New York; Sunset Sound, Los Angeles; The Automatt, San Francisco Engineered and mixed by Lewis Hahn, Jeremy Smith Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York Produced by Arif Mardin

Digitally remastered