Who Did It Better? Always There

Who Did It Better?

Always There

Sometimes a song simply resonates with musicians, leading it to be covered repeatedly. For today's Who Did It Better?, we examine the history of a song which had been around a long time and covered many times, but didn't find its way on the charts until it found its way into the clubs.

Always There is a song written in 1975 by Ronnie Laws and William Jeffrey.

It first appeared on Laws' album, Pressure Sensitive, as an instrumental. It was released as a single on Blue Note Records and it hit #45 in the US on Billboard's R&B chart.

And that could have very well been the end of the story for the song...

However, in 1976, the song found new life when producer Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders enlisted lyricist Paul B. Allen III to add lyrics to the tune. This version of the song was recorded that same year by the R&B group Side Effect. It would appear on  their third album, What You Need. It became a modest hit for the group and their first charting single. It managed to snag the #56 spot on Billboard's R&B chart and #20 on the Dance chart.

Dance artist Paul Hardcastle, known for his international hit '19', would record it as part of his1989 album, Sound Syndicate. 

That same year, vocalist Charvoni would release it as a dance single as part of the compilation album Black Havana. Her version would reach #78 in the UK. 

On June 17, 1991, the song was released by the British acid jazz band Incognito, featuring vocalist Jocelyn Brown. It proved to be Incognito's big breakthrough hit, although Brown had been on the scene and charting since the 1970's. Released as the second single from their album, Life, their version became a world wide hit, reaching #2 in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, #6 on the UK Singles chart and #1 on the UK Dance chart, #8 in Belgium and Switzerland,  #19 in Sweden, #20 in Germany, #25 in Ireland, #31 on Billboard's US Dance Club Songs and #48 in France.

But that was not the end for Incognito's version of the song. For it would re-chart for the group five years later, in 1996, as part of a remix album, snagging the #29 spot in the UK, while going to #1 on the UK's Club chart. In addition it managed to go to #31 on the US Dance Club Play chart and #34 in Scotland.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: Always There

The Competitors: Law vs. Side Effect vs. Hardcastle vs. Charvoni vs. Incognito feat. Joceyln Brown

Always There - Ronnie Laws

Always There - Side Effect

Always There - Paul Hardcastle

Always There - CharVoni

Always There - Incognito feat. Jocelyn Brown

Ronnie Law

Spacey intro. I'm getting a very Stevie Wonder Superstition vibe. Very funky and lively. 

Oh, this is an instrumental. The original version of the song, before William Jeffrey got a hold of it. 

That spring effect - a synth? It's fun. Might wear out its welcome. I like the mix. The sax is great, too. I suppose it would be easy to dismiss as it sounds like a generic soundtrack cut. But it is cooking just right. 

Laws plays the saxophone like a trumpet. 

Ah, the breakdown at the 3:03 mark... actually quite welcome. That's a sweet break. 

And then we rev up again, all too soon, basically starting over from the beginning.

This is as funky as can be and well done, but a bit generic to my ears. I like the overall groove, but there's not enough variation to keep me engaged. 

Side Effect

Their groove is not as deep as Law's. There's a richness to the mix missing from note one. Like that vocalist. She's got a lived-in voice. Wow, she has a big sound. Listen to her stretch out on verse two. The chorus was sweet, too. Like the backing vocals, very Pip-like. 

A tiny breakdown breaks things up. I have to say the lyrics are a welcome addition. But that's me - I'm singer/songwriter oriented, so it's rare that an instrumental is going to have me bringing the love. 

The vocalist is Helen Lowe (now known as gospel singer Helen Baylor). And her gospel roots are showing throughout. It's a bit unfocused - she does a lot of fill work, but its a great sound. I simply don't think the song offers her enough to do, which is why she's getting busy on her own, filling up all the space. I wish she'd trusted the groove a bit more and worked with it. 

This must have been fun to dance to in the clubs. 

Another breakdown. Nice guttural stuff from Lowe, though I must admit I was pretty much done with this song at the 2:50 mark. 

Oh, my... but I'm glad I didn't go home. When she springs back into the rev up, she really starts to bring the vocal fireworks. Some fun stuff as she plays with the back beat follows. 

A third breakdown? I must say, they are taking this all the way to the five minute mark. I don't know that it's warranted. But, while this is funk, it's still for the disco market, and those cuts tended to go long. 

The horn charts are spot on. And you have to hand it to Lowe, she keeps on burning. I love the back up vocals and the mix is good. It's very Gladys Knight and The Pips, but dirtied up and it actually does fill out and warm up, so... this is the one to beat. 

Paul Hardcastle

Hardcastle wisely cuts this down to just under three and half minutes. This is an instrumental and as such it's rather slight. He fails to recreate the deep warmth of the funk of the original and this ends up sounding like what it is... a cover. 

That drum machine is the problem. It has all the personality of a No. 2 pencil. And those supposed 'horns' are so light, their stabs fail to impale. This is nice, clean, pleasant elevator music. 

The drum machine is mixed too high and kind of dominates things, which is too bad, as it is the least interesting thing going on. 

This is like the television theme song version of this song. 

There are some pretty synth sounds in there. While the 'horns' fail to stab, that counter synth is sweet. 

And I'm wondering why he bothered with having a breakdown, but then that somewhat acoustic piano comes in and it is welcome relief. And then we have a bit of jungle-inspired fun before jumping back into the main sax theme. Interesting switch up from the sax to... what is that supposed to be? A soprano sax? An oboe? 

Well, he's managing to fill this out with a variety of takes. Unfortunately, all the faux instrumentation comes off a bit sterile, leaving me cold. 

And he wisely starts the fade at the 3;13 mark.

The best thing I can say about this is that I listened to it. 

Charvoni 

Cowbell disco intro. Very thin sounding. 

The vocals rule this. Charvoni sounds amazing. Those are some fully realized vocals. It's a cleaner sound, too, as she is the first to truly establish the hooks in this song. 

The rhythm track is problematic and that tick tick quickly wears out it's welcome. 

Deep mix, this is not. 

The backing vocals are great, too... though they compete just a bit too much at times. 

I have to say, the undoing of this one is that rhythm track - mixed too high and threatening Charvoni, who refuses to concede. She is an incredible vocalist. She'd give Chaka a run for her money.

The scat piano is fun, but messed up by that stupid rhythm track. Just kill that noise. 

The piano goes on for a bit too long with nothing much to say. Sometimes less is more. 

Solid backing vocals, solid lead. 

Well... this worked on one level. I miss the funk, though.

Incognito feat. Jocelyn Brown

Also stripped down to 3:25. Great, warm, spacey intro. 

Great horn chart.

Brown sounds great and in focus. I would have given her a bit more reverb to round out the edges a bit, but there's no arguing with her vocal attack. The horns are tight and super supportive. This is a clean mix, with everything - so far - properly focused. 

That slight keyboard riff is the super secret key to the success of this arrangement. How fun. Even the rhythm track feels right on. 

Those backing vocals! On fire. 

This is very C+C Music Factory, but funky enough all on its own. 

At the 1:40 mark, we get a bit of keyboard fill - nice and warm, followed by a bit of swirling via a synth pad, before breaking into a really decent instrumental slice. The horns and keyboard play nicely off one another before we slide back into the vocals and start the whole song over again - which I don't mind at all, because it's so solid it's deserving.

Great arrangement in league with a vocalist who brings the funk. 

The Verdict

No question here. Incognito feat. Jocelyn Brown takes it. 

Rarely does a guest vocalist and arrangement sync up so finally - and when it does - boom - you got yourself a bona fide hit.  

You have to give props to Side Effect, though. As unfocused as their version is, it's truly lively. Also, props to the original architect, Ronnie Laws. Without Laws' deeply funky groove, a sound no one else comes even close to, we would not have Incognito's version.

Paul Hardcastle? Television theme song fodder.

Charvoni? The vocals are very much there, but the arrangement fails on so many levels. It sounds cheap and Charvoni deserved better.

Incognito's arrangement is tight and fun, supplemented with incredibly powerful, solid vocals. They find the hooks, clean 'em up and serve 'em up hot and tasty. They would have me heading to the dancefloor every time. 

So, for me - and I love dance music - it's Incognito feat. Jocelyn Brown all the way! 

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And that's enough of me.

Your turn: you know what to do! Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I love to hear a differing opinion. 

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

Always There - Incognito feat. Jocelyn Brown