"Female Intuition" by Mai Tai

Song#:  2732
Date:  05/24/1986
Debut:  90
Peak:  71
Weeks:  7
Genre:  R&B, Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  This Dutch vocal trio originally consisted of Jetty Weels, Mildred Douglas, and Caroline de Windt. The three had become friends while working as vocalists in various bands and for other artists. At one gig, Weels happened to meet guitarist/producer Jochem Fluitsma. He liked Weels' voice and invited her to his studio to record. Weels then recruited Douglas and de Windt to form a group and along with Fluitsma and his writing/production partner Eric van Tijn, they began recording songs. An initial single in 1983 titled "Keep on Dancin'" didn't make many waves, but the following year they put two songs in the Dutch Top 30 and an associated debut album made it to #12. Two other songs from the album, "History" and "Body and Soul," became Top 10 hits in the UK with "History" also doing well on the US Dance (#3) and R&B (#37) charts. With a bit of momentum built up, the group went back into the studio to record a follow-up album titled 1 Touch 2 Much. The title track was issued out as the first single, but it failed to make an impression anywhere. However, this second single from the LP gave them their first Dutch Top 10 and it had some minor success in a few other countries including the US. It was able to reach #49 at R&B while crossing over to the Pop chart for a few weeks. A third single also hit the Dutch Top 10, but it tanked elsewhere. The trio would record one more album before calling it quits in 1988.

ReduxReview:  This isn't too bad of an 80s dance track. It has a Pointer Sisters feel to it and the chorus does its job. The problem is that we already had a Pointer Sisters and at the time the Sisters were even having trouble on the charts with their dance-pop sound and this one isn't much better than what that trio was already slinging out. The tune actually sounds like the theme something from some b-level comedy film. It's a well-done track, but one that ultimately doesn't rise above the pack.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Eric van Tijn and Jochem Fluitsma were a highly successful songwriting/production team in the Netherlands. The songs with Mai Tai were among their first successes. Much like Jam & Lewis in the States or Britain's Stock, Aitken & Waterman, the pair became a famous team known as Fluitsma & Van Tijn. Their success and standing in the music industry gave van Tijn the opportunity to be a judge on two major talent shows - the Dutch versions of Pop Idol and X Factor. Fluitsma wouldn't be a judge, but he did participate as a musician on Idol. The influential pair mainly worked with Dutch artists, but branched out on rare occasions. In the late 80s, they would do some songwriting and production work for a few US R&B/Dance artists like Sylvester and The S.O.S. Band.

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