The Raes – Dancing Up A Storm

The Raes – Dancing Up A Storm

Bringing together infectious disco grooves, soulful vocals, polished pop songwriting, and plenty of late-'70s dancefloor energy, Dancing Up A Storm is the second studio album from Welsh-Canadian husband-and-wife duo The Raes. Released by A&M Records in 1979, the album captures the pair at the height of the disco era, combining male-and-female vocal harmonies with funky basslines, keyboards, percussion, synthesizers, and slick studio production.

The Raes — Robbie and Cherrill Rae — first emerged in the late 1970s with a distinctive blend of disco-inflected pop and soulful vocal music. Following their earlier releases, Dancing Up A Storm became their breakthrough album in the United States, reaching No. 161 on the Billboard Top 200.

The album's biggest success came with A Little Lovin' (Keeps The Doctor Away), an upbeat disco number that became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Dance Club chart and reached No. 61 on the Hot 100. The follow-up, I Only Wanna Get Up And Dance, continued the album's dancefloor-focused sound and became another Canadian hit.

Alongside these standout tracks, Dancing Up A Storm features Gonna Burn My Boogie Shoes, the soulful Honest I Do, and the funkier Don't Turn Around and Don't Make Waves, before closing with the extended School. The record benefits from an impressive studio line-up including bassist Bob Babbitt, drummer Charles Collins, percussionist Paulinho da Costa, guitarist Paul Sabu, and synthesizer player George Small, with arrangements by David Van De Pitte and production from Harry Hinde.

A great choice for collectors and DJs looking for late-1970s disco vinyl, Dancing Up A Storm will appeal to fans of classic disco, funk, soul, dance-pop, and obscure late-'70s groove records. Its combination of catchy hooks, soulful duet vocals, extended arrangements, and polished A&M production makes it an enjoyable snapshot of the disco era.

Tracklist

Side A

1. A Little Lovin' (Keeps The Doctor Away) — 7:09
2. I Only Wanna Get Up And Dance — 7:25
3. Gonna Burn My Boogie Shoes — 2:51
4. Honest I Do — 3:25

Side B

1. Don't Turn Around — 5:26
2. Don't Make Waves — 5:15
3. School — 6:59