Emotions – Rejoice CD (Expansion)

“Rejoice” is the platinum selling album by The Emotions featuring one of the biggest soul hits of the 1970s, “Best Of My Love”.

The group started out as a family affair The Heavenly Sunbeams in Chicago comprising sisters Sheila, Wanda, Jeanette and Pamela Hutchinson and adopted member Adrianne Harris. Becoming The Emotions under the direction of producer Isaac Hayes at the Stax label subsidery Volt, group members have interchanged with only three participating at any one time and only Wanda and Sheila have featured on every recording.

The Emotions and Earth Wind & Fire first collaborated a year before “Rejoice” at a time Maurice White formed a label Arc Records through Columbia and was looking to sign artists. “Flowers” was released in 1976 and achieved gold sales status helped out my songs “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love” and the title song. It set the stage nicely for “Rejoice” on which “Best Of My Love” became a No.1 hit in the main Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks and one of the most revived songs from the 70s. The album’s second single is also one of the group’s most fondly remembered recordings, “Don’t Ask My Neighbors”. It was written by Skip Scarborough, another Earth Wind & Fire” collaborator who in the early 70s penned one of their biggest hits “Can’t Hide Love”. Expansion has previously released this song on a compilation “The Skip Scarborough Songbook”.

“Rejoice” is produced by Maurice While with the help of pianist Clarence McDonald, a Motown session player with Gladys Knight, The Jackson Five and Diana Ross. It appeals to fans of soul, disco, Earth Wind & Fire, girl groups and everything that was great about music in the 1970s. – Expansion