Melissa Manchester announced her independence from Arista Records when she signed to MCA Records after nearly a decade with Clive Davis’ famous label.  At Arista, Manchester had established herself as one of the finest singer-songwriters of her era (or any other!) as well as a first-class pop interpreter.  At MCA, she reinvented herself further by jumping headfirst into the world of dance-oriented synthpop, Hi-NRG, and new wave.  1985’s Mathematics bore the period’s hallmark of multiple big-name producers: George Duke, Brock Walsh, Robbie Nevil, Trevor Veitch, and executive producer Quincy Jones.  Mathematics featured…

“Please, don’t let this feeling end…” The sentiment of that famous lyric is one shared by listeners every time Melissa Manchester begins to sing. From her earliest pop hits through her recent triumphs on the jazz charts, Manchester’s voice has always resonated with warmth and power. In 1975, she was one of a handful of select talents chosen by Clive Davis to inaugurate his Arista Records label, and during her near-decade on the label, the fiercely independent artist established herself as both a singer and songwriter nonpareil.  On September 8, the very…