1988 Brenda Russell – Get Here

Get Here is the fourth studio album by the American singer/songwriter Brenda Russell. Released in 1988, it is Russell’s most successful album to date and includes her hit single “Piano in the Dark” as well as the minor hit title track, “Get Here,” which became an international success for Oleta Adams three years later.

After the release of her third album, Two Eyes (1983), Russell moved to Stockholm, Sweden and began writing songs for her fourth album in 1984. Working with several producers and recorded at ten different studios in Stockholm and Los Angeles, the album was ultimately released in 1988 and saw Russell return to the A&M Records label that had released her first two solo albums in 1979 and 1981 (her 1983 album had been released via Warner Bros.). The album peaked at #49 on the US Billboard 200 and #20 on the Billboard R&B chart.

The first single from the album was the ballad “Piano in the Dark”, released in February 1988. The single, which featured vocals by Joe “Bean” Esposito, became (and remains) Russell’s biggest hit, peaking at #6 on the US Billboard 100 and was also a Top 30 hit in the UK (#23), as well as earning Grammy nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Best Pop Duo Performance” (Russell would also garner a nomination for “Best Pop Female Vocal” for Get Here). Other singles from the album include “Le Restaurant” (featuring David Sanborn on saxophone) and the dance track “Gravity”. The title track of the album was also released as a single and was a minor R&B hit. It was later recorded by Oleta Adams and became a huge trans-Atlantic hit for her in 1991 (US #5, UK #4).