All Things Deep - Reviews - Donna McGhee: Make It Last Forever

Donna McGhee - Make It Last Forever

Donna McGhee was one of the many artists to work under the creative team of Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael. Make It Last Forever was originally issued in 1978 and promptly fell out of circulation, until this reissue by EMI Japan.

Like many Adams/Carmichael projects, Forever contains some essential dancefloor moments in the sublime "It Ain't No Big Thing" and "Mr. Blindman." These two songs rank among the best dance records of the 70s, true Paradise Garage classics. There's also the grooving title cut, which was popularized by Inner Life (another Carmichael project) in 1981.

McGhee, like fellow Adams/Carmichael protégé Venus Dodson, doesn't have the most distinctive vocal style, but she makes up for it with the sincerity she brings to the material. When required to be sassy, as on "Big Thing," McGhee's delivery is matter-of-fact, already resigned to the end of the relationship. When thrust into the sex kitten role on the sleazy "Do As I Do," she moans as effectively as Donna Summer.

Clocking in at a breezy five cuts in its original pressing, this reissue comes with bonus tracks in the form of edits of "It Ain't No Big Thing" and "Make It Last Forever" which aren't necessary. Pick this up to bask in the glow of some of disco's most soulful offerings.

Released 1978 on Red Greg

Selected Tracks:

Make It Last Forever
Mr. Blindman
It Ain't No Big Thing
Do As I Do