Sometimes, people play with love, falling in love is just a game.....
Picture this: 1984. Girl bands and groups on the radio were nothing new. Madonna, The Pointer Sisters, the Bangles, and Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam were just a smattering of female artists that ruled the airwaves with their unique hits. However, 1984 was the year that introduced a new style of music called Freestyle (a singable chorus, drum machines, and keyboard solos), and it was performed by a group of three ladies calling themselves Expose'. This hot new female band consisted of an eclectic mix of women: Ann Curless, Gioia Bruno (pronounced Joy-a) and Jeanette Jurado. These women went on to define an era of dance music and set records in the music industry that are tough to beat even today. This blog will focus on the singles released from their smash, Latin-infused, debut album entitled Exposure.
Expose' was the brainchild of Miami, Florida DJ turned record producer Lewis Martinee. Martinee had written and demoed some songs that impressed several folks at Pantera Productions and he was quickly added to the staff in a full time position. Shortly after, Martinee wrote a song that he wanted to try out in the local Miami clubs entitled The Point of No Return. Ale' Lorenzo, Martinee's girlfriend at the time, supplied the lead vocals while Martinee and some friends joined Ale' to sing the backgrounds. Without even having actually assembled a group, Martinee credited the song under the name X-Posed and served it to the clubs.
As luck would have it, The Point of No Return started to gain popularity at the clubs in south Florida. Martinee quickly assembled two other girls for X-Posed: Sandra Casanas and Laurie Miller, who had been a choreographer. The act was spotted by Dave Jurman, who was the National Director of Dance Promotion for Arista Records. Jurman subsequently brought the song to Arista President, Clive Davis. Liking the song, Davis offered the group a singles contract, but wasn't crazy over the group moniker. Martinee then christened the group Expose', and remixed The Point of No Return for its debut release on Arista. Point went on to become a dance floor hit and peaked on the top of the National Dance Chart in early 1985.
To capitalize on Point's success, Martinee quickly wrote and recorded the trio's second single Exposed to Love. Once again, Ale' supplied the lead vocals and the song went on to peak at number 12 on the National Club Play listings. The success of the two songs were enough to make Arista order the group to record a full album and in fact, the girls had recorded background vocals already for some songs. However, there was trouble afoot. The story varies depending which source one reads. The Arista side is that the trio lacked star potential and the executives wanted three other girls that could deliver that. Billboard Magazine reported that all three ladies were outright fired during the recording of the album. Miller, Lorenzo, and Casanas all claim they choose to leave under their own volition to work on outside projects. With an album in the recording stages and no singers, something had to be done and fast.
The first new recruit was a Jeanette Jurado, who has been singing since she was 15, and performed for a local band called Brandy. Next up was Gioia Bruno, born in Italy and reared in New Jersey. Gioia had performed since her teens years as well, and sang with a band called Gee Wiz. Last to join was Ann Curless, who had attended University of Miami School of Music. The three ladies all met, and liked one another right away, giving a second life to Expose'.
All three ladies were ushered into the studio to complete the first album, but all of them had little to no experience in the recording process. Jeanette had said in an interview that she was very uncomfortable with the recording mike in the studio. To remedy that, Martinee gave her a handheld mike and to imagine she was singing in a club. That was how she was able to record her leads for the album. Ten songs were recorded and released on the album Exposure, with the following releases as singles:
Come Go With Me: The debut single off Exposure which featured a fun, fiery lead from Jeanette. The 12 inch mix was first released to the clubs and was an immediate hit for the new group. In order to serve it to Pop radio, the single mix was culled directly from the 12 inch mix. This bright, uptempo, dance tune did what the executives at Arista had hoped: it crossed onto the Top 40 charts and peaked at number 5. The song also peaked at number one on the National Club Chart.
Point of No Return: Lewis Martinee believed that there was life left in tune, and had brought Jeanette in to record her vocals to the song. Record executives wanted to have another uptempo hit to follow Come Go With Me. The results were in sharp contrast to the club version that had been released in 1985. Jeanette supplied an energetic, urgent playfulness that was sorely lacking in the previous release, and it also appealed to a pop audience. The song also boasted of a new remixed, and tightened up track with enhanced explosions in certain spots. The new recording of Point of No Return matched its predecessor and peaked at number 5 on the Pop charts in early 1987.
Let Me Be the One: To change things up, the next single to be released featured a soulful, blistering lead from Gioia. This mid-tempo rocker quickly became a show stopper for the group. With a danceable beat, and Gioia's aggressive lead all made for a memorable tune. The album version, although still awesome, is more laid back than the single version that was released to the radio. The song shot right into the Top Ten and landed at number 7 pop, while finding an R&B audience too by peaking at number 29.
Season's Change: The final single released from the album showed Expose's more emotional side. It's always been my belief that a group needs to show a versatile side, and not be stuck in one certain genre. Expose' demonstrated just that and the ballad Season's Change proved to be the "winner winner chicken dinner" of the album. Again, Jeanette provided a wistful, almost yearning vocal, painting a story of losing a loved one and the heartbreak that goes along with it. The song shot to the top of the Hot 100 and gave Expose' their very first (and only) number one single in February 1988.
When Exposure was finally released, it peaked at a modest number 27 on the album charts. It was also certified as Double Platinum by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA). It's interesting to note that Exposure was first released with the club hit version of The Point of No Return that featured Ale's lead and not Jeanette's. Subsequent releases of the album dropped the club version and featured Jeannette's lead. Also, the album featured the club hit Exposed to Love, also lead by Ale'. In addition, it was also the first album in Pop history to feature four Top Ten hits from a debut album from a group.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other standout tracks from Exposure, first was I Know You Know. The uptempo tune was the first track to feature two lead vocals. Jeanette sang the verses and Gioia added soulful ad libs throughout the song and especially on the chorus. The next was the melancholic December. The flip side on Come Go with Me features a haunting, stirring song was again lead by Gioia. It obvious to me that Gioia connected with the song on an emotional level, and I can hear the chorus in my mind as I type this. The last standout on the album was a lead by Ann entitled Love is Our Destiny. Jeanette and Gioia are dynamite singers, but Ann has a more trained voice that just soars when she arrives at the chorus. Ann handles the song with aplomb and really makes it her own.
Exposure was truly a landmark album for Expose'. What could have been a complete disaster with the revolving door of singers, turned into the proverbial Phoenix that rose from the ashes. When you really think about it, six women recorded this album. The trio of Miller, Lorenzo, and Casanas recorded the backgrounds, while Ann, Jeanette, and Gioia recorded their leads to the songs, also added her vocals to the backgrounds, thus giving each song a more fuller, richer and consistent sound throughout the album. So, to take it one step further, Gioia and Ann are not on the background vocals of Season's Change, their own number one hit. Don't you just love it when it comes to politics of the music business? Would it have been too much trouble to let the new trio record their backgrounds to each song? Regardless of that, I truly enjoy Exposure, and the album is still as fresh now as it was back in the 80's. You can purchase Exposure in its expanded edition from Amazon. The album mixes and singles mixes are available, along with other gems from the album. Have a listen and let me know your thoughts.
If you want to hear the original club mix of The Point of No Return, click here. If you want to hear Jeanette's lead, click here. Listen and get ready to dance!
Coming in November: What You Don't Know, Expose's second album.
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