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There have only been at least four occasions when an artist has made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. One of those artists was a much underrated singer RENEE DIGGS   of the band STARPOINT .The first time I heard this lady sing was on a song called I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR LOVER yet I didn’t know who they were as the DJ in question didn’t announce it after playing the said record.It would be the following year in 1982 when there album ALL NIGHT LONG was release, a DJ at Radio One Peter Powell  featured it on is  show segment called SUMMER GROOVE which also featured the talents of FROGGY remember him sadly news reached me that he has since past away. Anyway the song they played was called BRING YOUR SWEET LOVIN BACK I was hooked I knew this had to be the same voice I had heard the year before .The next day I went to my trusted record shop in nearby WOLVERHAMPTON ruby red records (since closed) as I walked in the record was already being played, I purchased it and returned home leaving an order for the album  when they could import me a copy .I played that 12inch copy to death ,I can still remember my mother banging  on floor for me to turn the music down. For the next seven years I would have a musical affair with Miss RENEE DIGGS vocals  .STARPOINT had started life as Licyndiana in 1969 when KAYODE ADEYEMO met ERNESTO lead guitar, ORLANDO bass guitar saxophone &keyboards, GREG Drums and GEORGE JR PHILLIPS Keyboards and then later RENNE DIGGS was added Licyndiana was formed by the end of the 70`s having worked real hard to home there craft they signed to CHOCLATE CITY RECORDS changing the name of the group to STARPOINT. In 1980 they released their first album entitled STARPOINT under the guidance of LIONEL JOB to whom they would work closely with over the next 7 albums with gap in 1985, when they made a switch to work with KEITH DIAMOND of BILLY OCEAN   fame the album RESTLESS was born and STARPOINT became house hold names mainly in the states. I must admit this for me was not one of their finest hours for me their previous set of 1981 keep on it 1982 All night long 1983 It’s so delicious and 1984 `s It `s all yours had far more quality and soul .Yet the band had always gone largely unnoticed  especially here  in Europe. By the end of the 80`s it seemed things had slowe

d whilst the album RESTLESS and the song OBJECT OF MY DESIRE brought them fame by 1987 the album SENSATIONAL could not repeat that success yet it did however feature a killer ballad THE M  ORE WE LOVE .Like so many of their early music they always seemed to pull out a killer ballad like ALL NIGHT LONG my personal favorite. These were occasions when we got to see RENEE DIGGS in all her glory and indeed she never disappointed me. In 1988 they recorded an album with BERNARD EDWARDS of which for me was their lowest point, yet I was still in love with  RENEE DIGGS voice in 1990 I was getting engaged and wondered as the 80`s ended would I ever find another female vocalist besides ARETHEA and RENEE  who could make we week at the knees. To answer this STARPOINT came roaring back with RENNEE looking stunning on the front   and the guys looking well fine. The album for me was a welcome return to form and one i like to play often. Sadly this was there last album and the group split, this man was heartbroken until I got wind that RENEE was to release a solo project, something that had been talked about for sometime but didn’t seem to materialize. The album OASIS was released yet only in Europe on EXPANSIONS RECORSD by this time it was widely known she was suffering from multiple sclerosis and was a factor in the group’s demise. Meanwhile other members ERNESTO PHILLIPS  went on to work with a young upcoming artist by the name of TONI BRAXTON also  MILLI VANILLI(remember them)  and  with RENEE  DIGGS on her sol project  both were long term lovers  if you couldn’t already tell. The one thing I felt saddened by was that they were not noticed earlier in their career yet I felt great about this, you see I knew something the world didn’t that RENEE DIGGS possessed one of the world’s best vocals ever and that  STARPOINT were one of the tightest bands you could every hear or see. I wished a lot of the todays artist, would commit more to the artistry of the music than just the look, in terms of playing the instrument rather than programming it and strutting there stuff .Don’t get me wrong I am not against that but to be able to play adds a certain dimension to a song no programming will ever do and that’s the human one mistakes and all ALICIA KEYS is an example of this she can cross between the two and this gives her respectability. After the OASIS album I would often wonder if they would reform in some way, I would hold on to the hope of continuing my musical affair until MARCH 25^th 2005 when I got the sad news ERNESTO PHILLIPS had died, an even bigger blow was to happen when in MARCH 18^TH 2005 RENEE DIGGS passed away due to complications with an underlining heart condition this was a sad year and sadly a singer with whom they had toured with in the states extensively LUTHER VANDROSS would pass away 4 months later(another vocalist who made the hairs stand up on my back). It was then I knew the affair was over I had to get used to it. So every now and then I pull out the all night long album and play it, I get a kick when playing this and someone as who this she’s amazing (yeah I think to myself, she is and they still are) So to RENEE, ERNESTO, GREG, GEORGE, ORLANDO and KEYODE thank you so much for some great funky and soulful years.