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It's Christmas Time 'Round Here
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A tip of the hat to all the Christmas songs I grew up listening to.
It's Christmas Time 'Round Here (snippet)
This Side of Paradise
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This Side of Paradise, is a mature debut replete with all the trappings that have made Monte Moir a well-known name. It’s a funky yet surprisingly gentle record, full of instantly hummable tunes and lyrics that reflect the thoughts of an artist who’s taken time to craft an enduring piece of work. The self-produced album features 10 tracks with a wide range of influences and moods.
I'm The One Who Loves You
Silence Of My Heart
On Your Way Home
For Want And Desire
Save Your Love For Me
One Of These Days
All Right By Me
media quotes
I can’t count the number of times I’ve referenced this song ["The Pleasure Principle" by Monte Moir/performed by Janet Jackson] and accompanying music video in my life so far. This has been on my list of impossibly perfect songs since it was first released, and my appreciation for it has only grown over the years. Monte Moir would have been a legend for me if he had only written this one song and then retired. However, there are so many others . . . oh, and he also happened to be the keyboard player for a little band called The Original 7ven, formerly known as The Time. Yes, we’re all cooler now.
Today “If You Were Here Tonight” endures as a high water mark of sophisticated 80s soul. You can hear it’s echoes in contemporary artists from various genres. It’s been reinterpreted by musicians like reggae artist Wayne Wonder and English crooner Matt Gross. It’s iconic keyboard riff even found its way into Rihanna’s 2016 hit “Work”.
Nearly four decades later, the track remains a standout moment in O’Neal’s catalog and a masterclass in understated emotion. It’s enduring resonance lies in its deceptive simplicity-a sparse musical backdrop highlighting the singer’s impassioned delivery as he pours out his yearning for an absent lover.
I learned the power of this song while Deejaying at a Pub one night, and the crowd went crazy. The song had the writing talents and production skills of Monte Moir, who graced O’Neal with a ballad about lost love that still holds up today. Moir also provides O’Neal with two strong albums in the ballads “Do You Wanna Like I Do” and “Look at Us Now.”
Written with Monte Moir, “The Pleasure Principle” is a frantic, energetic dance tune that features Jackson hitting an incredibly high note at the song’s peak. There are fantastic pounding keyboards, skipping drum machines, and engaging background vocals—a prime example of 1980s urban-synthpop.