Bernadette Cooper - Drama According To Bernadette Cooper (1990)

Here, by request, we have the one and only solo album by THE diva of funk, Bernadette Cooper. I could gush all day about the many talents of this lady, but I'll let the music speak for itself. A member and driving force behind the fantastic Klymaxx, Bernadette moved on to be a producer extraordinaire, masterminding the brilliant Madame X, and creating and producing great songs for Alisa Randolph, Nia Peeples, Mazarati, Altitude, Shalamar, Cheryl Lynn and fellow Klymaxx-er Joyce "Fenderella" Irby, among others. I cannot even begin to express how under-appreciated this woman's talents are. Her solo album is stellar, showcasing everything that makes her fabulous. "I Look Good" was a moderate R&B hit, but the follow-up singles "Stupid" and "The Underground" failed to ignite. I am at a loss as to why. The album is both danceable and tender in equal doses and should have been huge. Her often spoken vocals (infamously parodied by Halle Berry on SNL) are sexy and strong. And Teena Marie herself does guest vocals!! (On a side note, Isle postee Club 69 made an awesome remake of "I Look Good".) Sparked by VH1's Bands Reunited, Klymaxx reformed, though member Cheryl Cooley formed her own version, to the distaste of the other members.  Though the real Klymaxx toured together for some time, they didn't make any new music.   But luckily for us all, in 2015, Bernadette released an amazing new album: Last Diva On Earth Episode 1: Planet Sexy. Her signature sexy funk sound is in full splendor, with some modern touches making it perfect for the club.  The diva is back!!

Video for I Look Good

Download Drama According To Bernadette Cooper

1		I Look Good (An Interview With Bernadette Cooper)
2		Do You Really Know What Love Is
3		Stupid
4		The Underground
5		The Agency Sent Me
6		Let's Be Discreet
7		Drama According To Bernadette Cooper
8		I'm That Girl
9		The Howard Hughes Sitcom
10		Straight Jacket (Love Affair)
11		Nothin' You Can Do
12		Movie Produce Her

Alisa Randolph – Alisa Randolph (1990)

Now here was a CD I found used and almost stopped breathing for! It is Alisa Randolph, one third of my fave female funk group ever, Madame X. Anyway, Madame X was the brainchild of one of my fave ladies and producers, Bernadette Cooper. In case you were unaware, Miss Cooper was part of another of my fave female funk acts, Klymaxx. She brought the funk and sexy sensibility from Klymaxx and upped it ten notches for Madame X. Unfortunately Madame X disbanded after limited success. I thought that was the end of it all, but then I found this CD randomly one day. Not only does it feature the (arguably) best singer of Madame X, but it is produced by Bernadette! I almost died on the spot. It was rumoured that the album was actually supposed to be Madame X's follow-up, but the group was disbanded and the songs went to Alisa solo. Alas, the result wasn’t quite as Madame X-y as I’d hoped. It’s still good pop-funk, and Alisa’s in fine form, but it just wasn’t as visceral and naughty as I’d hoped. And obviously it didn’t pick up much steam in the charts. But one interesting note is that Alisa’s only single from the album, "The Entity", was recorded by actress Nia Peeples a year later for her second album, with Bernadette also at the helm. Very sadly (and thanks to consolecharlie for informing me of this), Alisa passed away in December, 2005. Her husband has created a very beautiful tribute site (I e-mailed him to confirm this was indeed the same Alisa and he seemed very happy to hear from a fan). Check it out, as in the future he plans to add audio and visual, as well as photos and a biography. It's terribly sad to know such promising talent was taken from us far too soon. She did manage to record and release some more material before she passed, however, which can be bought off of Amazon.com should you wish to bask in her wonderful voice some more.

UPDATE: Alisa's sister wrote this wonderful comment here and I'd thought I'd share it for all to see. Thanks so much, Judy.

"Alisa was my beautiful sister, here it is early Mothers Day morning and I still grieve her passing as if it just happened yesterday. It makes my heart flutter to know she had such a great fan base. I wish you all could have met her. She has always been an Angel, always generous, understanding, and gave LOVE unconditionally. Thank you all for the nice comments, I will send her your regards via ballooon delivery to HEAVEN.

Judy Harris "

Download Alisa Randolph

1		The Entity
2		How Can A Girl Get To Know You Better?
3		Put That Thang On Me
4		Guilty Of Loving You
5		Pretty Face
6		Man Stealer
7		Through My Eyes
8		He's The Kind Of Man (You Want To Come Home To)
9		What A Woman Won't Do (For Her Man)