Single flashback

Sherry Kean - I Want You Back [1984]

Throughout the late 70s and early 80s, Sherry Kean had a steady gig in bar band The Sharks. The outfit featured future Blue Rodeo rhythm section Baz Donovan [bass] and Cleave Anderson [drums], as well as Kean’s musical co-conspirator and future hubby David Baxter on guitar.

The album they recorded never saw the light of day, so Kean and Baxter decamped to NYC to plan next steps while taking advantage of all the city had to offer.

After meeting British producer Mike Thorne [Soft Cell, Bronski Beat, ‘Til Tuesday] they felt they had the right partner to get to work on some tunes.

The demos led to an EP and LP on Capitol, with some songs recorded back in Toronto. The resulting album ‘People Talk’ sold modestly, hitting #57 on the RPM Album Chart.

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I Want You Back | peaked #19, 1984

The danceable beat and Kean’s croon are the highlights here, with a great pre-chorus hook. Not really a lyrical challenge, but that’s likely the point.

Sever The Ties | did not chart

For the B-side, we go back to the ‘Mixed Emotions’ EP. NYC studio bassist Fernando Sanders leaves a big impression here, as does Baxter’s slinky guitar solo.

Would You Miss Me? | peaked #93, 1984

Kean did get the benefit of a second single release in the summer of ‘84 based on the success of ‘I Want You Back’.

‘Would You Miss Me?’ owes a lot to the era’s taste for reggae, and features a wailin’ sax solo to boot.

Nice little tune, but sounds like just an album track to me.

Kean would get dumped by Capitol, but re-emerged on A&M in 1987 with a country-fried effort called ‘Maverick Heart’.

The following year she would team with another CanCon fave in Alfie Zappacosta to record the theme song for the short-lived Canadian soap ‘Mount Royal’.

Last whereabouts for Kean was rural Nova Scotia, but sadly we lost David Baxter in 2023. Not before they both left some cool music behind, though.

Please leave a comment if any of these tunes pushed a button for you!

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