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Estus' single "Heaven Help Me", with additional vocals by George Michael, reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989.
The Deon Estus album Spell is the one oddball in my music collection. It’s the only one I have on cassette. Out of hundreds of LP, CDs and even a few mini-disc, this one album remains the one that’s trapped in the sonic molasses of badly copied mass produced audio tape. Although, it’s not terrible, it reminded me why I set out to buy LP’s while recording my own cassettes (until CD came along). This was a tape given to me but no less apprecheated.
During the height of George Michael’s popularity during the mid to late ‘80s, he lent his presence to a few choice projects, nearly all of them striking gold.
While both Aretha Franklin and Elton John would record with Michael in the ‘80s, it would be the former Wham bassist and Detroit native Deon Estus who would owe his mainstream exposure to the former member of Wham!.Released in 1989, Spell would include songs produced by Michael just as he was trying to make the transition from bubblegum pop star to more serious singer-songwriter. The result rubbed off on Estus with his debut coming across very much like a hybrid of Michael’s Faith from the previous year and Listen Without Prejudice from a year later.
Estus, who himself is a formidable bass player, had a relaxed breathy vocal style similar to his mentor. Despite the similarities, Spell only managed to capture the public’s attention on the strength of its first single “Heaven Help Me”, a song that featured George Michael to the point of being a proper duet. Michael’s voice sounded so interwoven with Estus, that it would have been difficult for someone not knowing who Deon Estus was not to assume they were hearing a new George Michael song. Any such thoughts were cleared up thanks to the heavy rotation the video got on VH-1 and BET.
Aside from Michael’s influence, the rest of Spell was produced by the team of Colin Campsie & George McFarlane who gave the album a contemporary sound that straddled rock, pop and soul. For all it’s merits Spell quickly found its way to the cut out bin despite a few great songs like the title track, “Me or the Rumors” and “Love Can’t Wait”.
It’s difficult to pinpoint why Spell’s fortunes tanked so quickly. The world of pop music can be finicky and brutal, even with a star like George Michael discreetly promoting your album. I speculate that his record label Polygram simply did not promote him properly in The States.
Traction on the R&B, Adult Contemporary and Billboard Hot 100 charts did little to sustain the album in the public view despite two other singles “Spell” and “Me or the Rumours” that were minor dance hits
Could it have been a matter of perception? At the time Estus seemed very much like a new crop of British R&B artists like Lisa Stansfield, Loose Ends or Soul II Soul. Often these ‘foreign’ acts had to prove themselves on American urban radio before getting the chance to score elsewhere (just like American R&B acts had to).
Estus may have never overcome the perception of being an outsider despite being from Detroit, Michigan. After all, his most notable musical associations at the time were all British.
Spell today is remembered for one song (if at all), like any number of R&B albums from the ‘80s.
Not a lot of information exists on the internet about about what Estus is doing now, however I assume he’s still in the music business due to his talents as a bass player and arranger.
Track listing
- "Me or the Rumours" (The Jellybean Mix) (Deon Estus, Kenny Young) – 4:05
- "Spell" (Estus) – 4:38
- "Love Me Over" (Estus) – 4:08
- "You're the Only One for Me" (Kevin Calhoun, Matt Noble) – 4:11
- "False Start" (Estus) – 4:05
- "Heaven Help Me" (Estus, George Michael) – 4:40
- "Blue Envelope" (Estus, Young) – 3:38
- "Love Can't Wait" (Estus) – 3:56
- "Solid Ground" (Estus, Simon Climie) – 4:16
- "Me or the Rumours" (The George Michael Mix)" (Estus, Young) – 3:42
Personnel
- Deon Estus – lead and backing vocals, keyboards (2, 5, 8), bass (5, 6, 8, 9), arrangements (9)
- Richard Cottle – keyboards (1, 7, 10)
- George McFarlane – keyboards (1, 5, 7, 8, 10), drum samples (5, 8)
- Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards (2, 5, 8), strings (2)
- Lyndon Connah – keyboards (3)
- Matt Noble – keyboards (4), guitar (4), arrangements (4)
- Danny Schogger – keyboards (6)
- Ricky Peterson – keyboards (9), drums (9)
- Jim Williams – guitar (1, 10)
- Hugh Burns – guitar (2, 6)
- Kevin Calhoun – guitar (4), arrangements (4)
- Phil Palmer – guitar (7)
- Levi Seacer, Jr. – guitar (9)
- Andy Duncan – drum samples (1, 5-8, 10), percussion (1, 7, 10), drum programming (2), drums (3)
- Jimmy Copley – hi-hats (1, 7, 10)
- Trevor Murrell – drum and hi-hat overdubs (2)
- David Z – drums (4, 9), arrangements (4, 9)
- Steve Sidwell – trumpet (2, 6)
- Paul Spong – trumpet (2, 6)
- Rick Taylor – trombone (2)
- Simon Climie – arrangements (9)
- Colin Campsie – backing vocals (1, 7)
- George Michael – backing vocals (6)
- Ginger Commodore – backing vocals (9)
- Javetta Steele – backing vocals (9)
- J.D. Steele – backing vocals (9)
- Jearlyn Steele – backing vocals (9)
Notes
Released: March 14, 1989
Recorded: 1988
Genre: Pop rock, R&B
Length: 41:03
Label - PolyGram
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