Lushus Daim & The Pretty Vain - More Than You Can Handle (1985)

Imagine, if you will, that a 15 year old small town Canadian boy, obsessed with Prince and his protegees and really any female R&B singer at that time, picks up at his local record store a 7" single called "More Than You Can Handle" by a mysterious act called Lushus Daim & The Pretty Vain, and it's on the Motown label. An instant rush of excitement and forbidden desire overcomes him and he simply MUST have it, even though he has no idea who this act is or what the song sounds like. Imagine further when said record turns out to be even more than he could have hoped for, yes, more than he could handle!! Well, that boy was me, and I was instantly smitten. Of course, all I had was this single, without even a picture sleeve, and no way of finding out more about this mysterious 'Lushus Daim'. Then, sometime later, I was casually flipping through albums at a used record store in Toronto and happened across a lovely visage that I first mistook to be that of my goddess Vanity. Instead, it turned out to be THE Lushus Daim and her album of the same name as my precious single! I was overwhelmed by just how awesome that image was. She looked even better than I could have imagined! I could barely wait to get home to listen to the album. And then...I was underwhelmed. Perhaps too much time had passed, but the music just didn't move me as I'd hoped. Then again, my expectations were very high. I gave it a few listens and then forgot about it until recently. Upon listening to it again, I finally appreciate it's brilliance. Thanks to the retro-electro-funk revival over the past couple of years, this album seems fresh and exciting. It's solid from beginning to end. It seems that Motown may have been looking for another Vanity, whose debut solo album they released the year before, or at least a female artist who emulated the looks and vibe that Prince had created in his protegees. But while the music has many Prince-ish qualities, it was in fact produced by Leon Sylvers III, who was at the height of his electro-funk craft, having produced groups like Shalamar, The Whispers, Krystol and Five Star. The title track was released as a single but, aside from rocking my world, it didn't make an impact. Neither did the follow-up, the lovely mid-tempo ballad "The One You Love". And that seems to be the end of it. Nothing more was heard from or can be found on this elusive beauty. I did read a brief interview back in the day where she claimed that Lushus Daim was her real name. Also, I don't think there ever was a 'Pretty Vain', as the credits on the album encompass a wide array of players, with Sylvers being the most prominent. Lushus did co-write all but the title song, however. Whatever the case, we luckily have this piece of electro-funk magic to remember her fondly by. Today's retro-loving acts only wish they could craft something so tasty.

UPDATE: Here is a little update left in the comments from an anonymous visitor (perhaps Lushus herself?):

"The Pretty Vain was the name of her band. She is doing well, married with 3 children living in Los Angeles. She only sings for fun now around family and friends but she still has an amazing voice. Her daughter has inherited her talent and hopefully we'll be hearing from her soon."

Video for The One You Love

Download More Than You Can Handle

1		More Than You Can Handle
2		The One You Love
3		Be There For Me
4		The Rhythm Of Love
5		Flex
6		Pretty Poison
7		Attention Addict
8		Payback
9		For You