(October 30, 2024) Starting in the mid- ‘70’s, Gwen Dickey stormed the charts as the front woman and lead vocalist of R&B/funk band Rose Royce. With legendary producer Norman Whitfield and her golden voice at the helm, songs like “Wishing on a Star,” “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” and signature tracks from the Grammy-winning motion picture soundtrack album Car Wash (“Car Wash,” “I’m Going Down”) became eternal R&B anthems. She departed the group at the start of the new decade, while returning to touring life with her own variation of the band in the 2010’s.
Now, Dickey is emerging from the shadows with a string of new tracks for her forthcoming EP, This Is Gwen Dickey, her first foray into solo album territory since 1993’s Time to Change. The lead single of the bunch, “If I’m Gonna Be With You,” is a midtempo ballad blessed with smooth guitar plucks and sleek percussion dripping with urban MJ swag. Dickey approaches the song with the stylish finesse of Muni Long while engaging the swaggy beats using restrained soulful notes in a pleasantly lower range.
A collaboration with renowned producer/guitarist Eric Jackson (Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Robin Thicke) and Robert Louis Daniels, this track — recorded in New Orleans — is a complete 180° from the legacy disco-funk sounds of her early days and is sure to grab the attention of younger generations hip to Summer Walker and Kehlani.
Check out the new single from this R&B legend and let us know your thoughts.
By J Matthew Cobb
