Dee C. Lee
Just Something ★★★★
Acid Jazz AJXLP 735 (CD, LP)
Dee C. Lee was such a splendid player in pop’s 80s. She enjoyed a massive hit with her self-penned See The Day, which reached No 3 over Christmas 1985 (only Whitney and Wham! were bigger) and was in two of the biggest groups of the decade: the aforementioned Wham! and the Style Council. Yet it’s almost as though she was famous by association rather than for the vocal and writing talent she was. After her sole album in the 80s (Shrine), her collaboration with Robert Howard (Slam Slam), and singing with Guru later, she made two further long-players, the last of which, Smiles, was released in Japan in 1998. And then, until now, very little indeed.
Twenty-five years later, Just Something is here. It was born out of a meeting with Acid Jazz’s Eddie Piller after 2020’s documentary Long Hot Summers: The Story Of The Style Council, when she sang again. Piller encouraged Lee to get back into the studio. She calls on a welter of old friends here: former Questions leader Paul Barry, who happened to go on and be one of the writers of Believe by Cher; old 80s pal turned film composer Mike Mcevoy; and Councillor Mick Talbot himself. With them, Lee has created an upbeat album with depth and exuberance.
Working with sundry Acid Jazzers such as Brand New Heavies’ Simon Bartholomew and former James Taylor Quartet bassist Gary Crockett, producer Tristan Longworth brings out Lee at her sparkling best. Back In Time is unmistakable in its manifesto: bring back the spirit of the old party days to enlighten this oftenghastly present; the slinky, Council-esque Anything is sunshine soul awaiting a film to soundtrack; Walk Away, her reunion with Mick Talbot, is Merton Motown at its best. It’s not all joyous – Mountain reflects on the isolation of a difficult period (“it’s better to let it go”) and Trojan speaks candidly of betrayal (“goodbye, you Trojan horse-ass friend”); both are infused with a powerful sense of moving on and a refusal to dwell in the past. Of the three non-lee originals, Everyday Summer, written by her daughter, Leah Weller, is a dreamy highlight, maintaining the standard set by Weller’s solo debut Freedom in 2022. Piller suggested the other two covers: Don Blackman’s I Love You and Renee Geyer’s Be There In The Morning, which fit seamlessly with the new material.
Just Something is like going round to a friend’s house and the party is not just on, but in full swing and you are quickly made to feel part of it. There are not many records that have that feeling to them, but this is one of them. And then some.