Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1

Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1
Greatest hits album by Chaka Khan
Released November 12, 1996
September 14, 1999 (re-release),
March 15, 2005 (re-release)
Recorded 1978-1995
Genre Rhythm and blues
Length 73:30 (Japan: 77:56)
Label Warner Bros.
Reprise Records (re-releases)
Chaka Khan chronology
The Woman I Am
(1992)		 Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1
(1996)		 Come 2 My House
(1998)
Alternative cover
1999 re-release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau(A-) [2]

Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 a.k.a. I'm Every Woman: The Best of Chaka Khan is a compilation album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, first released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1996. Although the compilation, which reached #22 on Billboard's R&B chart and #84 on Pop, was given the "Vol. 1" tag, it remains without a sequel to date. Vol. 1 was however re-issued by Warner's sublabel Reprise Records in 1999, then with alternative cover art and under the title I'm Every Woman - The Best of Chaka Khan. The collection was again re-issued as Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 in 2005, then also on the Reprise label.

History

After an at the time 23-year-long career in the music business which spanned over seventeen studio albums (nine solo, eight with the band Rufus) and a combined total of some fifty entries on Billboard's R&B singles chart, Epiphany was the first best of retrospective to be released, then summarising her recorded output in ten tracks; eight solo hits such as "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You", "I Know You, I Live You" and "Through The Fire", combined with two recordings from the Rufus era, "Ain't Nobody" and "Tell Me Something Good".

The Epiphany compilation is however mainly notable for including six tracks from what was originally intended to be Khan's tenth solo album, Dare You To Love Me, recorded between the years 1993 and 1995. Titles from the postponed and eventually cancelled album featured on the Epiphany compilation include "Love Me Still" (co-written by Bruce Hornsby, first released on the soundtrack to the 1995 Spike Lee movie Clockers), Khan's reggae-tinged cover version of Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere", the duet "Never Miss the Water" with Me'shell Ndegéocello, "Somethin' Deep", "Your Love Is All I Know" and "Every Little Thing". A seventh title, "It Ain't Easy Lovin' Me", was released as an exclusive bonus track on the Japanese edition of Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan: Vol. 1.

Another seven recordings from the Dare You To Love Me sessions have surfaced on movie soundtracks, compilations or other artists' albums; "Miles Blowin'" (a tribute to the late Miles Davis, included on the Sugar Hill soundtrack, 1994), "Free Yourself" (on the To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar soundtrack, 1995), "Don't Take Back Your Love" (on Gerry DeVeaux's album Devoted Songs, 1996), Khan's recording of the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine" (on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, 1996), "Pain" (co-written by Prince, on the soundtrack to TV sitcom Living Single, 1997), "You And I Are One" and "Power" (both on the 1998 Zebra Records compilation A Song A Day). Three further recordings from the Dare You To Love Me sessions, including the title track, officially remain unreleased.[3][4][5]

The Epiphany compilation was promoted by the single release "Never Miss The Water" which included house and drum & bass remixes by Frankie Knuckles, Stylus Production and Candy Station. The single, issued on the Reprise Records label, became a #1 hit on Billboard's Dance Chart and also reached #36 on R&B. "Your Love Is All I Know", "Every Little Thing" and "Everywhere" were also released as singles in certain territories, such as the UK, Germany and Japan.[6][4]

Until February 2008, the compilation was certified Gold by RIAA, selling 796,000 units according to Neilsen Soundscan.[7]

Track listing

  1. "Ain't Nobody" (Written by David "Hawk" Wolinski) 4:41
  2. "Papillon (a.k.a. Hot Butterfly)" (Gregg Diamond) - 4:08
  3. "Tell Me Something Good" (Live) (Stevie Wonder) - 3:35
  4. "I Feel for You" (Feat. Stevie Wonder & Melle Mel) (Prince) - 5:46
  5. "I Know You, I Live You" (Khan, Arif Mardin) - 4:28
  6. "I'm Every Woman" (Ashford & Simpson) - 4:08
    • From the 1978 album Chaka
  7. "Love Me Still" (Khan, Bruce Hornsby) - 3:28
    • 1995 recording, first released on movie soundtrack Clockers
  8. "The End of a Love Affair" (Edward Redding) - 5:13
    • From the 1988 album CK
    • "Dedicated in loving memory to Ella Fitzgerald"
  9. "And the Melody Still Lingers On (A Night in Tunisia)" (Feat. Dizzy Gillespie) (Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli, Khan, Mardin) - 5:00
  10. "Through the Fire" (David Foster, Tom Keane, Cynthia Weil) - 4:47
  11. "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" (Hamish Stuart, Ned Doheny) - 3:53
  12. "Everywhere" (Christine McVie) - 4:52
    • Previously unreleased recording, 1995
  13. "Never Miss the Water" (featuring Me'shell Ndegéocello) (Gerry DeVeaux, Charlie Mole) - 4:46
    • Previously unreleased recording, 1995
  14. "Somethin' Deep" (Khan, Kipper Jones, Keith Crouch) - 4:58
    • Previously unreleased recording, 1995
  15. "Your Love Is All I Know" (Jud Friedman, Allan Rich, Chris Walker) - 4:35
    • Previously unreleased recording, 1993
  16. "Every Little Thing" (DeVeaux, David Gamson, Khan, Dave Thomas) - 5:12
    • Previously unreleased recording, 1993
  17. "It Ain't Easy Lovin' Me" (Gamson, Olivier Leiber, Khan, Allen Cato) - 4:26
    • Bonus track Japanese edition. Previously unreleased recording, 1995

Personnel & production 1993-1995 recordings

"Love Me Still" (1995)

"Everywhere" (1995)

"Never Miss The Water" (1995)

"Somethin' Deep" (1995)

"Your Love Is All I Know" (1993)

"Every Little Thing" (1993)

Non-album tracks and remixes

References

  1. ↑ "Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan". Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan Volume One review". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  3. ↑ Official Chaka Khan
  4. 1 2 Chaka Khan
  5. ↑ "Albums by Chaka Khan". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  6. ↑ allmusic ((( The Remix Collection > Overview )))
  7. ↑ Archived September 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
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