What Fresh Hell is This quotes this item in the June 14. 1980 issue of Billboard Magazine about Black Russian: “Actually from the U.S.S.R., Black Russian is a pop trio which makes crystalline pop/r&b that comes across as a more r&b-oriented ABBA. Natasha Kapustin has an excellent soaring voice. ‘Leave Me Now’ really gives her room to show off her vocal strength. The production is exceptionally clean with Vladimir Shneider’s keyboard and the synthesizers of Serge [Kapustin] and Natasha Kapustin lending a cushy sheen. The album is evenly divided between uptempo dance cuts and moody ballads. Best cuts: ‘Mystified’, ‘Leave Me Now’, ‘Emptiness’, ‘New York City’, ‘Love’s Enough’.”
Actually the song that has been running through my head most of the times I played Black Russian is “’Cause I Love You”. Black Russian are professionals who put their heart and soul into this album. The music stacks up well with the other albums of that era, and truly, “Mystified” should have been a hit single. As with most of the UARB’s and UARA’s that I write about, I love the whole album, and it is difficult for me to single out particular songs. My personal favorite though would have to be “Leave Me Now”, a plaintive ballad that is as compelling as any that I can remember from the 1980’s.
Two singles were released from the Black Russian album, “Leave Me Now” and “Mystified”. In addition to the U.S., the album was released in Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, France, and Spain; and the “Mystified” single was also released in those European counties. According to a blog post that I saw, Black Russian made an appearance on the Dinah Shore Show.
Despite the novelty of being able to hear Russian music and the thawing of relations with the Soviet Union – “Détente” had begun around 1969 – sales of the album and singles alike were poor. I have long since given up trying to figure out why some songs are hits, and others are not.
Nan O’Byrne wrote the lyrics for Black Russian’s second single “Mystified” and the flip side of the first single, “Love’s Enough”; and she co-wrote the lyrics for two other songs on the album. Nan O’Byrne also co-wrote “You Might Need Somebody” that was a UK hit for Randy Crawford in 1981, and “You Might Need Somebody” was later a hit for Shola Ama in 1997; “You Might Need Somebody” was first recorded by Turley Richards in 1980, and “You Might Need Somebody” was also covered by Joe Walsh. Nan O’Byrne’s songs have been recorded by Earth, Wind and Fire, the Pointer Sisters, Weather Report, Bonnie Raitt, and Philip Bailey.
(April 2015/1)
