Enchantment : Journey To The Land Of… Enchantment (1979)

Artist: Enchantment

Profile:

Smooth and melodious soul group Enchantment formed in 1967 at Pershing High School in Detroit. Emanuel “E.J.” Johnson, Joe Thomas, Dave Banks, Ed “Mickey” Clanton, and Bobby Green obtained their first recording contract by winning first place in a 1969 talent contest sponsored by local radio station WCHB. The next year, the group joined forces with Dick Scott’s Artists International, a talent development agency for up-and-coming artists. While with AI, Enchantment honed their craft, concentrating on stage presence, choreography, and expanding their theatrical talents by performing in musical plays around the city. Enchantment became acquainted with their producer-to-be, Michael Stokes, in 1973 while performing at local nightclub Stage One. Through this union, they recorded music for the film Deliver Us from Evil. Its “Call on Me,” a single recorded with Stokes, Paul Riser, and Jimmy Roach, was issued on Polydor in 1975. Excellent but weakly promoted, the uptempo song should have been the group’s breakthrough.

Enchantment later signed with the Roadshow label and recorded their self-titled debut album. The first single to hit the R&B chart from Enchantment (1977) was “Come On and Ride.” Later that year, the charismatic showmen received national acclaim with their second single, “Gloria.” Written and arranged by dynamic lead singer Johnson, the song reached number five on the R&B chart. The follow-up, “Sunshine,” peaked even higher at number three. As they rode that momentum, album number two, Once Upon a Dream (1978), produced the pleading “It’s You That I Need,” a number one R&B hit that reigned for four weeks.

After their third and final Roadshow album, Journey to the Land Of…Enchantment (1979), Enchantment’s commercial success quickly faded. Soft Lights, Sweet Music (RCA, 1980), Enchanted Lady (Columbia, 1982), and Utopia (Columbia, 1983) nonetheless offered a crop of durable modern R&B cuts that included should-have-been hits like “I Can’t Be the One” and “Here’s Your Chance.” Although they didn’t record afterward, the group, still fronted by Johnson, continued to work as a performing act well into the 2010s. Craig Lytle, All Music Guide

This album, the third from the Motor City quintet, featured a pair of singles: “Anyway You Want It” and “Where Do We Go from Here.” The former is upbeat and artistically arranged by Emanuel “E.J.” Johnson to include the lead vocals of second tenor Joe “Jobie” Thomas, the bass of Ed “Mickey” Clanton and the first tenor of Johnson himself. The second single, “Where Do We Go From Here,” is a masterful composition with a tranquil arrangement, led by the supplicating vocals of E.J. Johnson. The song is undoubtedly a R&B classic and a quiet-storm standard. Another strong number here is “Forever More,” a lovely ballad has the same hypnotizing affect as “Where Do We Go From Here.” Johnson’s commanding vocals manipulate each tender lyric and melodic note with conviction. It must be noted that all three of the above-mentioned songs were penned by E.J. Johnson; the impressions these songs have had and continue to have on aspiring and contemporary songwriters is evident — the most notable being two compositions produced by acclaimed songwriter/producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds: “I’ll Always Love You” (from For the Cool in You) and “Kissing You” (performed by Faith Evans and featured on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack). Another praiseworthy cut that was not a single is “Let Me Entertain.” Led by the consoling, soulful vocals of Joe Thomas, the song hits its stride as the background vocals emerge, which are ingeniously arranged by Johnson. The remaining selections on this album reflect the group’s ability to record quality songs in any format, such as the dance rhythms of “Magnetic Feel” and “I Wanna Boogie” to the country/western-seasoned “Love Melodies.” Craig Lytle, All Music Guide

Great grooves from Enchantment – a set that has the group very much in their dancefloor-oriented mode, but still singing with some incredibly warm harmonies throughout! The backings are a nice blend of late 70s disco elements and softer soul modes – just the right mix to let the group’s nicely glowing quality come through strongly – that Enchantment style that was always a bit more subtle than some of the other late 70s soul groups, and which almost hearkened back at times to the earlier indie harmony scene of the start of the decade. Titles include “Love Melodies”, “Oasis Of Love”, “Journey”, “Future Gonna Get You”, “Magnetic Feel”, “Anyway You Want It”, and “Where Do We Go From Here”.

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Album: Journey To The Land Of… Enchantment

Release date: 1979

Tracklist:

01. Future Gonna Get You
02. Magnetic Feel
03. Anyway You Want It
04. Love Melodies
05. Oasis Of Love
06. I Wanna Boogie
07. Fun
08. Let Me Entertain You
09. Forever More
10. Where Do We Go From Here
&
11. Journey