"(You're My One and Only) True Love" by Seduction

Song#:  3956

Date:  07/08/1989

Debut:  97

Peak:  23

Weeks:  21

Genre:  Dance-Pop, Freestyle

Pop Bits:  Seduction eventually became a trio of female vocalists, but that wasn't how things began. Seduction was initially a studio project tossed together by songwriter/producers Robert Clivillés and David Cole. Earlier in '89, they recorded a song titled "Seduction" and hired singer Carol Cooper to do some vocal work. The tune was released as by Seduction (no credit for Cooper) and it got enough attention in dance clubs to reach #17 on the Dance chart. To follow it up, Clivillés and Cole then put together "(You're My One and Only) True Love" with former Weather Girls singer Martha Wash providing the vocals. As before, the tune was released under the Seduction name with no credit given to Wash. The song caught on in a bigger way in the clubs and ended up at #3 on the Dance chart. That action helped the tune get on the Pop chart where it became a surprise Top 30 hit. It also made the R&B chart at #56. With a growing hit on their hands, Clivillés and Cole decided it was time to actually form a real Seduction. They would eventually hire on Idalis DeLeón, April Harris, and Michelle Visage to be the faces and voices of the new outfit and work quickly began on a debut album that would be titled Nothing Matters Without Love. Although the newly assembled trio would do the vocal work on new tracks, the album would contain "Seduction" (as "Seduction's Theme") and this single in their original forms. The first single from the officially christened Seduction trio would end up being an even bigger hit.

ReduxReview:  This was kind of a low-key freestyle dance track. It had a sultry groove and wasn't quite as high energy as some other freestyle hits. Clivillés and Cole used a light hand in their production and it suited the tune. It was a nice listen, but it wasn't a song that really grabbed me. The tune itself was just kind of meh. These days the song has been way overshadowed by Seduction's follow up; and rightly so.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Although this song was sung by Martha Wash, on the album the vocal was credited to new Seduction member April Harris. She would also appear in the song's associated music video lip syncing the lead vocal. Wash would end up with a backing vocal credit on the album and nothing else. It seems that Clivillés and Cole hired Wash to sing on a demo of the song. As a hired vocalist, Wash received a flat fee for the work. However, in their haste to get a new single out, the producers used Wash's demo vocal making adjustments to alter the sound. This didn't go unnoticed by Wash who would lose out on royalties because she wasn't a member of Seduction and was not given proper credit. She promptly sued. Now, while this was going on, the same thing was happening to Wash over in Europe. The Italian house music group Black Box hired Wash for demo work only, but like C&C, they kept her vocals for several songs on their 1990 album Dreamland. This included two tracks that would become major hits, the #1 Dance/#23 Pop "I Don't Know Anybody Else" and the #1 Dance/#8 Pop "Everybody Everybody." Again, Wash received no credit or further funds for her work and she sued. Now, you'd think by that point C&C would have learned a lesson and backed off from using Wash's voice without proper credit and compensation, but lo and behold, they did it again! They used demo work from Wash on "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)," a song by their own new outfit C+C Music Factory. It would became a huge platinum selling #1 hit. The video for the song had Zelma Davis lip syncing to Wash's vocals. Apparently, Wash approached C&C to come up with a credit/royalty solution, but when that failed, Wash sued. In the end, Wash would settle all three of her suits.

_________________________________________________________________________________