WHILE,
as a family group, Mason have that fact in common with the likes of the
Jacksons, Pointers and Isleys, they have one further common factor with
the Wilson Brothers, a.k.a. the Gap Band. Both families hail from the
unlikely city of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
OFTEN, when a lead vocalist leaves a successful group, it comes as
surprise to the rest of the world. However, there are usually very
strong underlying reasons that simply didn't come to the attention of
the public. Certainly, that was true of the Lionel
Richie-Commodores and Jeffrey Osborne-LTD
splits. And, to a lesser degree, it's the case in the {safm}Howard
Hewett{/safm}-Shalamar parting of ways.
You may be forgiven if you think 'Deja' has a sort of familiar ring.
The name may be new, but the duo boast a partnership spanning more than
ten years. And though the name alludes to something we've seen before,
Curt Jones and Starleanna Young are looking forward to the future, not
back to the past. Dropping the name Aurra is a positive move to
exorcise ghosts from the past, and start afresh with a whole new sound.
When B&S last spoke to Lanier & Co back in February of last
year (was it really that long ago?!), the group were hoping that their
third single for Willie Mitchell's Waylo label would be the one. While
"Dancing In The Night" can't really be regarded as a hit in terms of
the small U.K. market (having peaked outside of the Top 75 at No.78) it
has at least brought them to the attention of a major label in EMI.
Hopefully the single is selling sufficiently well to convince EMI to go
with a follow-up, and maybe their now-completed album as well.