Rocks In The Attic #134: The Kiki Dee Band - ‘I’ve Got The Music In Me’ (1974)

I’m a big fan of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Dee’s duet with Elton John, but other than hearing that song thousands of time throughout my life, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything else by her. I picked this up from my Dad’s record collection - I can’t imagine my Dad listening to this, so it might actually have belonged to my Mum. Either that, or it was a gift from a well-meaning friend.

The link with Elton John seems a match made in heaven, as this album, which came a full two years before that duet, is very much from the same stable of good-time, honky-tonk, mid-‘70s music that Elton was known for at the time. The album is on Elton’s Rocket Records, so maybe that explains the similarity in sound.

Her choice of material might not be the most ground-breaking, but Dee has a cracking voice. On the slower songs like Someone To Me and Water, where she has some space and isn’t merely singing to keep up with the band, she sounds scarily like a close relative of Karen Carpenter.

Hit: I’ve Got The Music In Me

Hidden Gem: Water