Plain and Fancy: Voudouris And Kahne - Street Player / There's A Secret Goin' On (1975-76 us, pleasant orchestrated funky blue eyed soul, 2000 japan remaster)

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Voudouris And Kahne - Street Player / There's A Secret Goin' On (1975-76 us, pleasant orchestrated funky blue eyed soul, 2000 japan remaster)

Voudouris & Kahne a duo consisting of Roger Voudouris and David Kahne, with Roger on guitar and vocals and David on keyboards and vocals.

They have released two albums, “There's A Secret Goin' On” (1975) and “Street Player” (1976). Here we have both albums on CD from Vivid Sound in Japan in 2000, but both albums are now hard to find.

Roger Voudouris, born in Sacramento, California, USA on December 29, 1954. In 1978, Roger Voudouris started as a solo artist under Warner Bros label and released the album “Roger Voudouris”. In 1979 Roger Voudouris his second solo album “Radio Dream” were released, and from this album the song “Get Used To It” gave him his first Billboard Top 30 hits. With these two album Roger Voudouris got established as a west coast american rock musician and followed to release album in this music style backed up by great session musicians such as: Jay Graydon, Michael Omartian, Jeff Porcaro, Neil Stubenhaus, Tom Scott, Jerry Hay, Jim Horn, Richard Page, Steve George and others.

Two albums followed: “A Guy Like Me” (1980) and “On The Heels Of Love” (1981) and Roger Voudouris got established as an artist in Japan also. Most of his albums has been re-released in the 90´s on Japanese labels. Roger Voudouris passed away on August 3rd, 2003.

The title track, “Street Player. It is a funky and groovy number with a sharp performance and Roger's wild and passionate vocals. Backing musicians include Chuck Domanico (b), James Gadson (ds), and Bobby Hall (perc). Saxophone soloist Mike Butera, who also played on the first album, is a lively soloist, and his performance fits the title of the song “Street Player” perfectly. Wonder Of Wonders” is sweet pop soul. Roger's vocals are gentle and soulful.

It Will Happen With Us” is a refreshing, sweet and sour acoustic number. The skilled performance is softly enveloped by delicate strings, creating a pleasant sound. Arranged by David Kahne, who also arranged all the songs on this album, “Were You Alone Last Night” shows a jazzy flavor, and the album has a lot to offer.

Producer Michael Stewart is known for his work on Billy Joel's “Piano Man” (1973) and “Streetlife Serenade” (1974), and on the AOR side he has produced albums by Kenny Rankin, Randy Edelman, Evie Sands, and others. In the AOR field, he produced albums by Kenny Rankin, Randy Edelman, Evie Sands, and others.

David Kahne began his music industry career as an artist signed to Capitol Records. He then began working as independent producer/engineer in the San Francisco Bay area, working with seminal underground bands like Romeo Void, Rank and File, and Pearl Harbor & the Explosions. In 1983, he began a long tenure at Columbia Records, serving 8 years as a Staff Producer before being named Senior Vice-President of A&R in 1991. While at the company, he produced and arranged for a wide range of artists including Tony Bennett, The Bangles, Fishbone, Presidents of the United States of America, Billy Joel, Dionne Ferris, Shawn Colvin, and Bruce Springsteen.

David left Columbia in 1995 and returned to independent production, producing albums for, among others, Sublime, Soul Coughing, and Sugar Ray.

In 1998, David was named Senior Vice-President of A&R for Reprise Records, and in 2000 he was named Executive Vice-President of A&R for Warner Bros. Records. During his tenure there, he produced Orgy, Chris Isaak, Stevie Nicks, KD Lang, and New Order, among other artists.

In 2002, David left Warners to return to independent production. He has produced many projects, including Paul McCartney, The Strokes, Regina Spektor, Sean Lennon, Reeve Carney, Butterfly, Kelly Clarkson, Matisyahu, Taking Back Sunday, and Renee Fleming.

David is also a composer of orchestral music, having written 3 full-length ballets and composing for film, including the score for the Dublin-produced "Bloom", a film adaptation of Joyce's "Ullyses" starring Stephen Rea. He also co-wrote a piece for Twyla Tharp, "Surfer at the River Styx" with Don Knaack. David has his own studio, SeeSquared Studios, situated at Avatar Studios, where he does most of his production work.