Chart entered : 21 April 1984
Chart peak : 13
Number of hits : 20
Another pointer to the future arrives with a lady who's had more hits as a featured guest than in her own right.
Jocelyn Brown was born in North Carolina in 1950 and started working in the music business during the mid-seventies disco boom. She was a session singer whose work was mainly with faceless studio outfits like Ceronne, Inner Life and Disco Tex and the Sexolettes. The most successful record she featured on was Musique's risque disco classic which reached number 16 in the UK and 58 in the US in 1978 despite - or maybe because of - its naughty lyrics ( "Push ! Push ! In the bush ! ") . She certainly wasn't one of the dolly birds that featured on their record sleeves. Jocelyn also worked as a backing singer on tours notably with Bette Midler.
In 1984 Jocelyn decided to make her own records and released this debut single which she co-wrote with Annette Brown. "Somebody Else's Guy" is about the disappointment of finding out that the guy you fancy is someone else's property. It's often been assumed that the guy in question actually turns out to be gay though the lyrics don't say one way or the other. Jocelyn starts the record with a sustained high note and gives a high octane vocal performance in the best Arethra Franklin tradition throughout. The music is a mixture contemporary electrofunk and piano jazz and sounds a bit lumpy to me; this is a vocal showcase rather than a great dance record. It remains her only hit in the US where it reached number 75.
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