"C'mon and Get My Love" by D-Mob introducing Cathy Dennis

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  4139

Date:  12/16/1989

Debut:  96

Peak:  10

Weeks:  21

Genre: Dance-Pop, Acid House

Pop Bits:  British producer/remixer/songwriter Daniel Poku, aka Dancin' Danny D, worked his way through the music biz as a DJ and promoter until landing an A&R job at Chrysalis Records. He would continue to work remixer for various artists including ones on Chrysalis while branching out to do his own projects. After leaving Chrysalis, Danny would write and produce a track titled "We Call It Acieed." The song featured vocals by Gary Haisman. Released in the UK in the fall of '88 on the FFRR label and credited to D-Mob, the single became an unexpected hit reaching #3 on the UK chart. With the sudden success of his D-Mob project, Danny needed to get a follow up out and his next effort was "It Is Time to Get Funky" featuring rapper LRS and DJ Sarome. It would also reach the UK Top 10 (#5) in the spring of '89. The second success prompted Danny to create a debut album from D-Mob. In the meantime, across the pond in the US, the two D-Mob singles would both reach #1 on the Dance chart. By the fall of '89, the D-Mob debut album A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That would be set and this next single that featured singer Cathy Dennis would be issued out. While the song would do fine in the UK getting to #15, over in the US it would be D-Mob's third #1 at Dance while becoming a surprise Pop Top 10 hit. Another Cathy Dennis-led track, "That's the Way of the World," would stall in the UK at #48, but would hit #1 on the US Dance chart (#59 Pop). The album would sell modestly well in the US reaching #82 (#46 UK). 

ReduxReview:  House music was certainly popular in clubs, but it would only break through to the mainstream on occasion and this was one of them. With its relentless beat, the track was a catchy dancefloor filler that was made all the better by Dennis' vocal. Acid house music is generally not something I gravitate towards as I find it too repetitive, but when the beats are paired with a catchy melody and chorus and edited to a single, it can be terrific. This song was a good example. It was a whirlwind house track that was easy to get caught up in.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) The D-Mob outfit would go on to release a couple more singles later in '94 that didn't catch on as well and with that Dancin' Danny D would go on to other projects. He would run his own record label and also team up with Tim Blacksmith to form a publishing company. They would also manage the Norwegian songwriting/production team Stargate. That outfit would work on hits by major acts like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Selena Gomez, Sam Smith, and many others. 2) While at Chrysalis, Poku would befriend a co-worker by the name of Simon Fuller, who would later become widely known for the UK's Pop Idol show (aka American Idol in the US along with franchises in many other countries). The connection came in handy when Poku needed a vocalist for a couple tracks. Fuller started his own management company and had signed on singer/songwriter Cathy Dennis. With her two D-Mob tracks becoming hits, Dennis then got her own record deal and later in 1990 issued out her debut solo album Move to This. While it would only reach #62 in the US, it would spawn three Pop Top 10 hits:  "Just Another Dream" (#9), "Touch Me (All Night Long)" (#2), and "Too Many Walls" (#8). Dennis co-wrote all three songs along with the majority of tracks on her debut. Unfortunately, her 1992 second album didn't fare as well and it more or less brought an end to her solo career (save for a '97 album). However, it would be Dennis' songwriting skills that would take her career to new heights. She began writing songs for other artists and things would start to rev starting in 1999 when she co-wrote four Top 10 hits for the UK pop outfit S Club 7. Her next hit would be a biggie. Dennis would co-write and co-produce the 2001 worldwide #1 "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue (#7 US). Dennis then got involved in Pop Idol thanks to Fuller. She would co-write the theme song, which would later be used for American Idol as well. Dennis would also be tapped to write songs for winners including the first UK winner Will Young and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Many more hits would follow for Dennis including Britney Spears' 2004 "Toxic" (#9 US) and 2008's "I Kissed a Girl" (#1 US) by Katy Perry. Along the way Dennis would win two Grammys.

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