Even if you’ve been living under a rock for the last 35 years or so you must have heard either some of Loleatta Holloway’s disco charged tunes or at the very least one of the many tunes that sample her …”Love Sensation” anyone?

“Queen of the Night” was first released in ’78 on Gold Mind/Salsoul records and was Holloway’s follow up to her ’76 breakthrough album for the label “Loleatta”. Here we find it re-released on Big Break Records with a trio of extra mixes (the 12” Disco and Disco Madness mixes of the album’s opening tune “Catch Me on the Rebound” and the 12” disco mix of “I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I’m Right On Time).

The album opens up with the infectious “Catch Me on the Rebound” and this sets the tone for the rest of the album (the bass line is a killer!) and is pure D.I.S.C.O of the very highest order – strings, that bass line, fabulous percussion and of course Holloway’s diva vocal soaring over the top.

Philadelphia’s Norman Harris, who’s on production duties on this record, catches the feel of disco perfectly and it’s none stop uplifting dancefloor madness all the way with the exception of “Only You”, “You Light My Fire” and “I’m in Love” that take the lights down low and bring on the end of the night smoochers.

OK, I’m a sucker for disco grooves, and particularly anything with the Salsoul Orchestra, but this is an album that just oozes sleezy disco sexiness and is made all the more worthwhile by the inclusion of the extensive sleeve-notes by Stephen SPAZ Schnee and the extended mixes – the 12” Disco Mix of “Catch Me…” is an absolute belter with it’s prolonged percussion breaks…the Disco Madness mix is a bit special too!

Disco Stu

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