"The Way to Your Heart" by Soulsister

Song#:  4046

Date:  09/23/1989

Debut:  71

Peak:  41

Weeks:  10

Genre:  Pop

Pop Bits:  The Belgian duo Soulsister was formed in '86 by musicians Jan Leyers and Paul Michiels. Both had experience with other bands before meeting each other in a café, which led to them collaborating. A demo song they wrote and performed piqued the interest of EMI Records who pushed the pair into forming a duo. Initially calling themselves The Soul Sisters, EMI would push out a couple of singles that got a small bit of attention. Encouraged by that, the label pressed the duo for a debut album. Under the new name of Soulsister, the pair would record It Takes Two. An initial single wouldn't make much of an impact, but a second single, "The Way to Your Heart," would take off late in '88. It would go Top 10 in several European countries including #3 in their home of Belgium. That success would lead to a distribution deal in the US and nearly a year after its initial release, the single was issued out in the States. The Motown-ish song would become a hit at AC getting to #5. It was also able to get on the Pop chart, but it stopped just shy of the Top 40 at the dreaded #41 mark. It would be the duo's only charting single in the US. The album would be released as well in the US, but it would not chart.

ReduxReview:  Whoa! This was a blast from the past. I swear I haven't heard this song since it came out and it was like I just heard it yesterday. I'd totally forgotten about this song. I'm not exactly sure why I knew it so well as I didn't buy the single and I don't have it on any of my 80s collections. Since it went Top 5 at AC, I'm guessing a radio station I listened to must have had it in heavy rotation. If I didn't already know this had peaked at #41, I would have thought it had at least cracked the Top 20. This is a terrific Motown-inspired pop tune that easily puts a smile on my face. It's hooky, fun, and a sweet confection. The song should have done a lot better on the Pop chart, but perhaps it was better suited to AC where it did quite well.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Soulsister's next two albums would be released only in Europe. Both would sport a Top 10 hit at home in Belgium. After a fourth album would fail to do much, the duo would split. They would reunite in 2006 and the following year put out their fifth album. Jan Leyers would go on to form the rock band My Velma while also doing some solo work, which included the 2000 Belgian #2 hit "Only Your Love Will Do." He would write songs for other artists along the way and one of his co-writes, "That's as Close as I'll Get to Loving You," would become a #1 US Country hit in 1995 for singer Aaron Tippin. Leyers would also go on to be a television personality in Belgium hosting several shows and working as a judge on the Belgium edition of the Idol franchise. Paul Michiels would also continue on doing solo work and in 2001 would grab a Belgian #3 hit with "Let Me Be Turned to Stone."

_________________________________________________________________________________