You're Gonna Get Next to Me: The Complete Claridge Recordings

Liner Note Author: Tony Rounce.
Arranger: Hense Powell.
Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis weren't intended to be a long-term match. They were put together by A&R man Frank Slay, who convinced his partner Kirkland -- born as Mike but performing under the name Bo -- to team with Davis, thinking "You're Gonna Get Next to Me" would work better as a duet. This suspicion was proven true in the U.K., where it climbed its way up the charts, eventually reaching 12 in 1977. That was enough of a success for Claridge to call up a full album, which arrived in 1976 as the single was still on the rise. That record, simply called Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis, is at the foundation of Ace's 2014 compilation You're Gonna Get Next to Me: The Complete Claridge Recordings, which also includes the As & Bs of the two singles the duo released in 1977, along with a solo single from Davis in 1978 (Kirkland had two songs of his own slid onto the proper album). Kirkland and Davis have a nice, easy interplay that sustains their album, although it's a nicely constructed collection of romantic disco that would've still sounded good even if they didn't have chemistry. It's not aggressive dance music but its appeal is that it's sweet, disco that's right on the edge of quiet storm even when it has a beat to fill a floor. That seductive mood is what's noteworthy about You're Gonna Get Next to Me and why it's worth a listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine