"Some Kind of Lover" by Jody Watley

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3393

Date:  01/30/1988

Debut:  76

Peak:  10

Weeks: 17

Genre:  R&B, Dance-Pop

Pop Bits:  By this point in time, Watley's self-titled debut album had spawned two Pop Top 10 hits along with three R&B Top 10s. The hits helped earn her a pair of Grammy nods including Best New Artist, which she would win just about a month after this fourth single was released. That win brought more attention to Watley and most likely helped this song climb the charts. It would be her third #3 in a row at R&B and her third #1 at Dance. The tune did well enough to then become her third Pop Top 10. The album had already turned platinum in December, but it still continued to sell well into '88.

ReduxReview:  This was another winner from Watley's debut album. It had a bit of the ol' Minneapolis feel, which came courtesy of former Prince-camp producers André Cymone and David Z. While the tune wasn't as immediately hooky as "Looking for a New Love," it was one that slowly wormed its way into your ears. It was a solid jam that deserved its Top 10 showing.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Jody Watley's younger sister, Michele, also became quite successful, but her fame came via a completely different form of entertainment. In her late teens, Michele found work as a backup singer, dancer, and model. Then in 1989, she appeared nude in a scene from the Eddie Murphy hit comedy Coming to America. That seemed to tip her towards a more risque career and she began working as an exotic dancer with the new name Midori. A few years later, Midori saw that women of color were not well-represented in adult films and decided to make the leap. Eventually she became a major star and would even write/direct adult films. In 2001, she would become the first African-American female to win an AVN Award, the Oscars of the adult film industry (she won Best Supporting Actress). During her heyday, Midori branched out to music and recorded a couple of tunes with Oran "Juice" Jones. She also would record a couple of solo albums. In the late 90s, Midori briefly dated Kid Rock. During that time, Kid Rock produced a song featuring Midori that was recorded for a compilation titled Deep Porn. In 2005, Blender magazine ran a little side feature that listed nine of rock's most embarrassing siblings. Midori made the list.

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