"Bring It All Back" by Grayson Hugh

Song#:  4081

Date:  10/28/1989

Debut:  99

Peak:  87

Weeks:  4

Genre:  Blue-Eyed Soul, Adult Contemporary

Pop Bits:  Hugh grabbed an unexpected Pop Top 20 hit with "Talk It Over" (#19), the second single from his second album Blind to Reason. The soulful tune, which got to #9 AC, kicked of sales of the album and it would reach #71. This follow up single would then be issued out. While it would only spend a short month at the bottom of the Pop chart, it would do well at AC getting to #9. Hugh's next single would be a remake of Champaign's 1981 #12 Pop/#5 R&B/#1 AC hit "How 'Bout Us." Done as a duet with soul singer Betty Wright, the tune would miss the Pop chart, but get to #15 AC. It was from the soundtrack album to the 1989 rom-com True Love.

ReduxReview:  This is an easily listenable tune that perhaps wouldn't have been out of place on a Bonnie Raitt album. It was a good fit for AC radio, but the tune was nearly too polite and easy going for pop radio and it failed to catch on. The track might have had a more timeless feel if the little 80s production flourishes were not on it (such as the fake hand claps).

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  For his third album, Hugh would move over to MCA Records. Prior to the album coming out, three songs from the LP would first appear on a couple of 1991 soundtracks; two for Thelma and Louise and one for Fried Green Tomatoes. Then in '92, Hugh's album Road to Freedom would be released. No singles from the LP would chart and it quickly disappeared. Due to that and changes at MCA, Hugh would be left off of the label's roster. The next several years proved to be difficult for Hugh. He would spend time with a new band in North Carolina, then end up teaching for a spell at Boston's Berklee College of Music. But by 2004, he had become an alcoholic living out on Cape Cod and nearly died due to an alcohol-induced seizure. He would eventually become sober and pick back up on his music. He was able to release the 2010 indie album An American Record and start to tour again. Since that time, Hugh has married his backup singer, recorded more albums, and worked on contemporary dance pieces and film music.

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