Click here to listen! It's a coincidence that I got the idea for this month's feature song while watching VH1's Behind the Music on Barry White. I'd been wanting to spotlight 70s R&B vocalist Kellee Patterson on these pages for a while, but when I saw the T.V. show, I was instantly reminded of Kellee's fabulous cover the Barry White tune "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby." Barry first released his original on his 1974 debut album. Kellee put out her version in 1976 on an album, which she associate-produced, entitled Kellee for Shadybrook records. Though the album was really her second, Kellee was her first real soul/R&B release. (Her first album was Maiden Voyage, a jazz record released in 1974 for the Black Jazz label.) The thing that makes this cover version unique is the way Kellee sultrily interjects her own tongue-in-cheek (I think) personal touches ("If you lose your job, I'll support you."). The thing that makes this cover great is the band's transformation of Barry White's smooth original into a danceable lounge-y jazz groover. And it's no wonder since the band included some of the best session musicians: Phil Upchurch on bass, Johnny Kirkwood on drums, Marlo Henderson on guitar, and Gene Russell on piano. Of course, there's Kellee's emphatic voice, which borders on being over-the-top, without being unpleasant. In fact, Kellee's voice has such a pleasantness that kept this fan interested even when material on her later albums was less than groovy (or at least not as swingin' as this tune). And about Kellee? I don't know much except that she was a native of Gary, Indiana, a former beauty contestant queen who did finally achieve chart success with a minor funky hit, "If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It" in 1977. Her discography consists of only four albums that I know of -- 1979's All the Things You Are, '77's Turn On the Lights -- Be Happy, her 1974 debut Maiden Voyage, and 1976's Kellee, the album that "I'm Gonna Love You . . ." comes from. Kellee's version of "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby" was not a hit like Barry White's. I don't even know if it was released as a single. But it remains a rare groove classic which pleases with plenty of jazz-funk flair. Enjoy! Past Songs of the Month: November '99: "Mama Feelgood" by Lyn Collins, Polydor, 1973 (funk) September/October '99: "Bold Soul Sister" by Ike & Tina Turner, Blue Thumb, 1970 (soul) August '99: "Cause I Love, Love, Love You" by Pattie Brooks, Casablanca, 1979 (disco) July '99: "You Can't Turn Me Away" by Sylvia Striplin, Uno Melodic, 1981 (rare groove)