Saturday, May 24, 2014

LaToya Jackson - Heart Don't Lie

This months marks the thirtieth anniversary of Heart Don't Lie, the third studio album from LaToya Jackson. It spent six weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 149.


Side one begins with "Think Twice", a high energy dance track that warns her man to think before he acts.

"Heart Don't Lie", the second single from the album, is a duet with Howard Hewett of Shalamar. Musical Youth and LaToya's sister Janet provide some of the background vocals. The reggae flavored song reached number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 30 on the US Billboard R&B chart. The lyrics imply that while words might say one thing, there is no denying one's true feelings.

"Bet'cha Gonna Need My Lovin'", the first single, went to number 55 on the US Billboard Dance chart and number 25 on the US Billboard R&B chart. I have vague memories of this song, played at some of the dance clubs I would go to in 1984. The song has a good beat and a catchy hook on the chorus.

The side closes with a cover of Prince's "Private Joy" from his 1982 album Controversy; her version was released as a single in Japan. This was a time that Prince was both writing for other people as well as letting some, usually female artists, record covers of his earlier works. LaToya does a good job with it, shifting some of the lyrics so the song makes sense from a woman's perspective.

Side two opens with "Hot Potato", a song about dropping a guy who is cheating on the side. As the third single, it barely entered the US Billboard Hot 100 (stopped at 100). It did get to number 92 in the UK, number 43 on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 38 on the US Billboard Dance chart.

The beats continue with "I Like Everything You're Doin'".

Her brothers Tito and Marlon lend a hand on "Frustration", another solid dance track.

The album closes with the ballad "Without You".

I really enjoyed Heart Don't Lie, certainly enough to seek it out for a download. The production on this record is top-notch and is right in line with my kind of mid-80's club dance music.

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