A Look Back At Continuation By Philip Bailey

Philip Bailey released "Continuation" in 1983 on Columbia Records.

In 1983, soul singer Philip Bailey was known for being one of the lead singers for the funk and pop band, Earth, Wind and Fire. His angelic falsetto tones quickly became one of the band's trademarks. That year, he dropped his first solo album on an unsuspecting public. Sadly, this eight-track masterpiece of an album went unnoticed. Was the music bad? Of course not! But there's a number of (unfair) reasons why Continuation is overlooked to this very day. Did no one take Bailey serious without his EWF buddies backing him up? Was he overshadowed by the younger falsettos around at the time, particularly Prince and Michael Jackson? Was the album not promoted sufficiently? There could be a kernel of truth to all of these possibilities or none at all. Either way, I'm gonna get into the music. You're seriously missing out if you haven't heard this album. 

I Know

The album's opening track and first single. It's a light pop song fusing rock and R&B. Does it sound like EWF? Not really, but it has memorable chords and great vocals by Bailey. Overall this song isn't as confident as some of the others. Maybe this was released as the first single to ease his transition from EWF? Not a bad song by any means. It makes great riding music. The music video, however, is hilarious. Bailey plays a cab driver who runs into an old girlfriend who is now a celebrity. With his long stare and leather jacket, Bailey looks quite tough in the video. But it all goes out the window when he opens his mouth and sings like woman. The acting and overall tone of the video is pure '80s cheesiness. 

I give this song 3 stars out of 5 ***

Trapped

Uh-oh. Things start to get serious on this track. This one is a deep ballad with soulful synths and vocals. As Bailey's vocals ride the groove you'll find yourself falling into a trance. Speaking of vocals, I read somewhere years ago that Bailey's singing was inspired by Mahailia Jackson, Eddie Kendricks and Smokey Robinson. It's obvious on songs like this one, where his falsetto sounds like Kendricks, but he sings with the strength and lungpower of Mahailia Jackson, yet always maintaining a quivering vibrato like Robinson. I like songs like this because as soulful as the song is, it sounds pop because of the synthesized instrumentation. Bailey starts to go crazy with the falsetto adlibs during the climax. Great vocals, great production, great groove.

Four Stars ****

It's Our Time

This one wouldn't sound out of place on an '80s Stevie Wonder album. This time Bailey is accompanied on lead vocals by a female singer. She sounds like Stephanie Mills but I doubt it's her. Sister Sledge are credited with background vocals on one song so I'm assuming this song is a duet with them. Like the previous song, it's a soul ballad and a catchy one at that. Not too much I can say about it, but after two ballads back to back you're ready for things to speed up and fortunately that happens on the next track.

Three and a half stars *** 1/2

Desire

This track is notable for two reasons. First off, it's the first uptempo track on the album. It's also the first song where Bailey drops the falsetto to sing in his natural tenor voice. He doesn't sound bad at all, but this time the falsetto we're familiar with is reserved for adlibs and background vocals. The synth funk and electric guitar playing on this track gives it somewhat of a Prince vibe. In fact a song like this would not sound out of place on the Purple One's Dirty Mind album. Was Bailey trying to send a message here? There's also a rare piano solo midway through the song. Songs like this prove that Bailey had everything it took to compete with artists like Prince and Stevie Wonder. He may not be able to play all those instruments the way they can, but he can certainly hold his own and produce similar songs.

Three and a half stars *** 1/2

I'm Waiting For Your Love

This one picks up where the last one left off. The song is uptempo electric funk, and Bailey again sings most of the lead vocals in his mild natural tenor. I respect him for trying something different, but the falsetto is his real blessing without a doubt. He does everything he can to make his real voice more exciting but there's no magic until he takes off into his high register during the pre-chorus. The falsetto is a real special effect. In fact, on the bridge, it almost sounds as if his voice is layered but I think that's just how strong his pipes are.


Three stars ***

Vaya (Go With Love)

Now we return to the heavenly falsetto and romance. This is another song straight out of the Stevie Wonder text book. It wouldn't have sounded out of place on Michael Jackson's Thriller album either. Greg Phillinganes didn't work on this album but this song recalls his work. Given the fact that Vaya was written by Bailey, Nathan East, George Duke and Nan O'Byrne, I'm not surprised that it turned out so brilliant. This was the first song song I heard from Continuation and it made me want to explore the rest of the album. Unfortunately, Bailey never worked with Stevie Wonder, Greg Phillinganes or Michael Jackson, but I imagine the end result would be a song like this. I can't resist melodic R&B songs like this one. Vaya is hands down my favorite track on this album. 

Four Stars ****

The Good Guy's Supposed To Get The Girl

I imagine if Eddie Kendricks or Smokey Robinson tried to imitate a Michael Jackson song this would be the result. It's the jam, no doubt. But with the dance beat and Jerry Hey's horn arrangements, this song sounds like it could be an unreleased track from The Thriller album. That's not a bad thing. I think it's good that Bailey shows confidently that he could compete with younger artists. Songs like this one are miles and miles away from EWF but Bailey excels. Like Vaya, this one had the potential to be a hit.


Four Stars ****

Your Boyfriend's Back!

This song is the funkiest track on the album and a great closer because it leaves you wanting more. It's almost Nile Rodgers funky. Also, you could argue that Boyfriend has a similar sound to The Brothers' Johnson. Like some of the other songs on this album, the song combines rock and electric funk all in one. It's a tough and unapologetic sounding song. 

Four Stars ****

Final Thoughts

When I first heard this album in full, I couldn't believe it wasn't a bigger success. Considering Bailey's four octave vocal range and the melodic grooves throughout the album, you'd think this would have at least done better on the R&B charts. Bailey had more success on his later solo albums but this was a hell of a way to make a solo debut in my opinion. 

It's quite obvious that Bailey and producer George Duke admired the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Prince. The influences of those three men are apparent throughout the songs and that's another thing I like about this album. Bailey didn't copy them per se, but he let people know that he wasn't an old head that could only sing lead for EWF. He updated his sound for this album and went in a new direction that people probably didn't expect.  

I'll leave you with what is probably my favorite solo Philip Bailey song of all time. It's a soothing jazz ballad called Waiting For The Rain. It's a very pleasant listening experience. 

My next music review will be on The Dealers, a legendary funk band from Memphis, TN and the subjects of my new book, The Dealers: Then and Now.