With 1984's A Private Heaven, Sheena Easton successfully followed in the footsteps of Olivia Newton-John in shedding her "girl next door" persona - so much so that future U.S. Second Lady Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center "honored" Sheena's Prince-penned "Sugar Walls" with a slot on its "Filthy Fifteen" list.  No wonder Gore and co. were threatened by the success of "Sugar Walls;" A Private Heaven became the singer's most successful album to date.  How to follow it up?  Enter Nile Rodgers.  The CHIC co-founder and uber-producer who had helmed albums for Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, David Bowie, and Madonna (among others) accepted Sheena's invitation to produce 1985's Do You.  Earlier in the summer, it arrived on Cherry Pop as a 2CD Deluxe Edition as part of the label's ongoing series of expanded Easton reissues.

Producer-guitarist Rodgers assembled an A-list for the album's New York sessions, including musicians Martin Celay on guitar; Rob Preuss, James Farber, and Peter Scherer on keyboards; James Bralower on drums; and Mac Gollehon on trumpet.  They were joined by The Borneo Horns (Steve Elson, Stan Harrison, and Lenny Pickett) and a large group of background vocalists including such CHIC veterans as Norma Jean Wright, Michelle Cobbs, and Fonzi Thornton.

Though the in-demand Rodgers no longer wrote entire albums for his production clients, as he and CHIC partner Bernard Edwards did in their early days, he demonstrated a knack for matching songs to artists.  Do You was no exception.  Maz Kessler and Adele Bertei's propulsive "Do It for Love" (the nominal title track, with its repeated questioning of "Do you?  Do you do it for love?") opened the album on a spirited note, combining pop with bright dance and funk sensibilities.  The horn section shone on the floor-filling "Don't Break My Heart" from the team of Mary Unobsky, Danny Ironstone, and Rufus' Tony Maiden; originally demoed by Maxayn Lewis, an emotive Sheena channeled girl-group soul with her confident lead vocal.  Of course, the artist paid explicit homage to the past with a faithful, slickly updated cover of Martha and The Vandellas' 1967 smash "Jimmy Mack."  Though recorded in 1964, Holland-Dozier-Holland's joyful composition resonated with Vietnam-era listeners when released as a single three years later, and its infectious charms translated equally well to the '80s style (epitomized by a new tag arranged by Rodgers).

Nile's own "Magic of Love" slowed down the tempo to become of the album's low-key highlights, yielding one of the singer's finest and most deeply-felt leads on Do You.  The producer teamed with Martin Celay for the upbeat "Money Back Guarantee," like "Magic of Love" a sonic throwback to the days of CHIC.

The pulsating "Don't Turn Your Back," from Mel and Gordon Gaynor and Junior Giscombe, added a welcome edge to the proceedings while Dana Merino's emphatic, new wave-tinged "Young Lions" and Larry Nacht's dreamy "Kisses" resided on the softer side of the rock spectrum.  Rick Neigher, John Keller, and Geoff Leib's "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow" juxtaposed Sheena's smooth vocals with frenetic guitar licks.  The closing track of Do You went to the lauded team of Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight, who supplied Sheena with the sensual, melodic pop of "When the Lightning Strikes Again."

The first disc of this 2-CD set is bolstered by 7-inch single edits of "Do It for Love," "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow," "Jimmy Mack," "Money Back Guarantee," and "Magic of Love." ("Do It for Love" respectably peaked in the U.S. at No. 29 Pop/No. 39 AC, and "Jimmy Mack" stalled at No. 65 Pop.  "Magic of Love" failed to chart.)  Note that "Magic of Love" is a previously unreleased longer edit - though still shorter than the album version - as the original single version was reissued on The Definitive Singles 1980-1987 in 2021.  TV mixes of "Don't Turn Your Back" and "Kisses" (prepared as backing tracks for potential television appearances and sourced from the original, unedited recordings) round out this disc.

The centerpiece of the second disc is an alternative version of the album, The Uncut Nile Rodgers Sessions.  (This version is also available as a standalone LP).  This sequence was what Rodgers originally compiled before he was required to edit the album down to fit vinyl length of the period.  Most tracks are longer than their album counterparts, though "Do It for Love" is a very different and funkier, if shorter, mix.  The version of "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow" on The Uncut Nile Rodgers Sessions was issued on the B-side of the "Do It for Love" single, but all other versions have sat in the vault for the past four decades.  An alternate edit of "Do It," extended single of "Jimmy Mack," and two additional TV mixes complete this comprehensive reassessment of Do You.

As usual for this series, producer-annotator Adam Mattera has taken a deep dive into the making of the album with his terrific (and terrifically detailed) liner notes, which draw on interviews with songwriters Charlie Midnight, Maz Kessler, Junior Giscombe, Mary Unobsky, and John Keller.  Simon Murphy has remastered the audio from the original tapes, bringing out the detail in Rodgers' mix.  (The producer made good advantage of stereo throughout the album on tracks such as "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow" and "Young Lions.")  The 24-page booklet is enclosed within a six-panel digipak, all designed by Chris Lupton.

Mattera closes his liner notes with the rather shocking revelation that Sheena recently described Do You as a "huge mistake," undoubtedly correct in his assertion that its lack of commercial success may have colored the artist's opinion.  With Nile Rodgers as active as ever, the time is right to rediscover Do You; fans of his disparate yet distinctive work of the period certainly won't be disappointed.  It's an album of which both producer and artist should be rightfully proud.

Sheena Easton, Do You (Deluxe Edition) (Cherry Pop CRPOP2D283 (U.K.), 2024)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
The Uncut Nile Rodgers Sessions LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Disc 1: Original album and bonus tracks (* previously unreleased)

1. Do It for Love
2. Don't Break My Heart
3. Magic of Love
4. Don't Turn Your Back
5. Jimmy Mack
6. Can't Wait Till Tomorrow
7. Young Lions
8. Kisses
9. Money Back Guarantee
10. When the Lightning Strikes Again
11. Do It for Love (Single Version)
12. Can't Wait Till Tomorrow (Single Version)
13. Jimmy Mack (Edited Version)
14. Money Back Guarantee (Edited Version)
15. Magic of Love (Long Edited Version) *
16. Don't Turn Your Back (TV Mix) *
17. Kisses (TV Mix) *

Tracks 1-10 released as EMI 1C 064 24 0454 1 (U.K.), 1985
Track 11 from EMI single 5536, 1985
Track 12 from "Do It for Love" U.S. single - EMI America B-8295, 1985
Tracks 13-14 released as EMI America single B-8309, 1986

Disc 2: The Nile Rodgers Uncut Mixes and More (* previously unreleased)

1. Do It for Love (Break Mix) *
2. Don't Break My Heart *
3. Magic of Love *
4. Don't Turn Your Back *
5. Jimmy Mack *
6. Can't Wait Till Tomorrow
7. Young Lions *
8. Kisses *
9. Money Back Guarantee *
10. When the Lightning Strikes Again *
11. Do It for Love (Dance Mix - Edited Version)
12. Jimmy Mack (Extended Version)
13. Magic of Love (TV Mix) *
14. When the Lightning Strikes Again (TV Mix) *

Track 6 from "Do It for Love" 12" - EMI 12 EMI 5536, 1985
Track 11 included on some later CD pressings of Do You in place of original album mix
Track 12 from EMI America 12" promo SPRO-9588, 1986