DEE C. LEE
Forty years ago, Dee C. Lee was at the very centre of British pop. A backing vocalist for Wham!, a member of The Style Council and a solo artist in her own right, she seemed to be everywhere and to know everyone. Looking at her discography, it's a roll-call of some of the most seismic pop names of the 80s and 90s - George Michael, Paul Weller, Dr Robert, Guru, Jamiroquai. But then, in 1998, after the release of her fourth album Smiles, the trail runs cold. Until now, that is.
"I needed a change, you know," the singer tells Classic Pop, 26 years on from that farewell record. "It was different times. I was starting a family etc etc, and I suddenly realised, my children are having children and there's only so many lunches with your friends you can do. It was time to get back to work."
And back to work she went. The resulting album, Just Something, then, is Dee C. Lee's first new solo material in over a quarter of a century. It's a heavenly record, a warm, velvety slice of classic soul - and a timely reminder of the power and grace of one of the 80s' most in-demand voices.