About this artist
Blue Magic emerged in 1974, smack in the middle of the golden age of Philly soul, with their self-titled debut and hit single "Sideshow." Like the Moments or the Stylistic -- Philly soul groups in the Thom Bell/Linda Creed school -- Blue Magic produced sweet and maudlin soul numbers about love lost, needed and found. Lead vocalist Wade Elliott's quivering voice finds sensuality in its vulnerability, and the production's dramatic string arrangements bank on a low-grade melodrama. It's a supremely approachable aesthetic that ensured their place in the pantheon of memorable soul artists. The group would go on to produce five great albums in the '70s (their sophomore album, 13 Blue Magic Lane, is particularly recommended) before fizzling out in the '80s as the weepy soul transformed into ostensibly sexualized R&B.