Someone could easily spend hours listing the numerous artists who were, in some way, affected by
Chic's distinctive sound -- a list that would include everyone from
Queen,
ABC, and
Duran Duran to
Soul II Soul,
Madonna, and
the Sugarhill Gang. One of the many early-'80s R&B groups to be heavily influenced by
Chic was the trio
High Fashion, whose debut album,
Feelin' Lucky, sounds like
Chic-meets-Change with hints of Kashif. In fact, this decent, if formulaic, LP was produced by
Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi -- the same European duo that produced Change -- and Kashif serves as one of the associate producers in addition to writing or co-writing three selections. Not surprisingly, one of the background singers is none other than
Chic's
Diva Gray.
Feelin' Lucky is, without question, highly derivative, but it's also quite enjoyable. Cuts like "You're the Winner," "Hold On" (one of the songs that Kashif wrote), and the hit "Feelin' Lucky Lately" won't win any awards for innovation; nonetheless, the grooves are tough to resist, and you just might find yourself patting your foot while you're commenting on
High Fashion's lack of originality. ~ Alex Henderson