By 1984 James Mtume had parted company with Reggie Lucas for well over 12 months. Mtume had developed his unique blend of synthetic bass-driven funk and although a real departure from his earlier work – “Juicy Fruit” was his conversion – the soul still remains strong. I think that James' production skills are second to none and considering the indescribable talent of Tawatha Agee therein lies a potent chemistry for superb music making. One of my favourite years, 1984 saw the release of “You, Me & He”. If you love THAT Mtume sound then you will love this album. Thankfully this and “Juicy Fruit” are available for purchase on CD at a very reasonable price indeed. This album featured the popular “Tie Me Up” single. I've not included this song here as I much prefer the 12” version. Anyone who remembers Robbie Vincent and Chris Hill japing around to this on Soul Weekender radio will recall it with a smile!
“C.O.D. (I'll Deliver)” is classic Mtume. A clapping beat, synth, keys and a hand-clapping beat ably fronted by Tawatha and giving the fact it's now an astonishing 24 years old it still retains all the allure and power that accompanied it on my first hearing. Superb. “You Are My Sunshine” is more down tempo, brooding and melancholic but as Tawatha joins into the conversation the tempo uplifts and then things perk up a bit. I love this song. Such a classy effort. Thirdly, I spotlight the title song, “You, Me & He” which gives me chills. This man can create slamming up tempo tunes as well as hot ballads and that's what I call talent. Talking of slamming up tempo tunes, check “Prime Time” which is very Zapp-like. I can't get enough of Mtume and what a pity his 90s Philadelphia International album never arose. I'm going to email President Obama to see if he can order him into the studio...executive orders or something??? What I would do if I had power...
Barry Towler,
The Vibe Scribe
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