CoronaVinyl Day 202 (K): What Cha' Gonna Do For Me by Chaka Khan

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "K," and the only album by a "K" artist other than KISS that I have left is Chaka Khan's third solo studio album, 1981's What Cha' Gonna Do For Me.

If you're like me -- and you better pray to Quetzalcoatl, Qebehsenuf, QAnon, or whatever other Q deity you worship that you're not -- then you can't hear the name Chaka Khan without repeating it over and over in your head, like at the beginning of her 1984 hit song "I Feel For You."  Chicago's own Chaka Khan -- nicknamed the Queen of Funk -- was the lead singer of '70s funk band Rufus, which was formed by several former members of the Chicago-based '60s rock group American Breed in the early '70s.  After Khan came on board in 1972, the band became a premier force in funk and released a string of successful records and hits throughout the '70s, probably best known for their Top 10 hits "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Once You Get Started."

Rufus eventually broke up in the early '80s, although by that time, Khan had already been moonlighting as a solo artist while still a member of Rufus.  She released her first solo album in 1978, and What Cha' Gonna Do For Me was released in April 1981.  It's an amalgamation of funk, soul, and jazz, so it's not surprising that it charted on a few different album charts, going to #17 on the Billboard album chart, #3 on the Billboard R&B album chart, and #33 on the Billboard Jazz album chart.  The title track is the only song from the album that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, topping out at #53, but it also went to #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.  Her cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" went to #34 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.  In addition, she covers Dizzy Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia" on "And The Melody Still Lingers On (Night in Tunisia)," which features a cameo from Gillespie himself on trumpet, as well as Herbie Hancock and David Foster on keyboards and synthesizers.

Khan has continued to make music over the past several decades.  VH1 ranked her #17 on its list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.  Overall, she has won 10 Grammy Awards, including two as a member of Rufus.  More recently, she was on the Masked Singer last year, and she also sang the national anthem at last year's NBA All-Star Game here in Chicago.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "We Got Each Other"

The final track on Side 1 is a catchy, uptempo jazzy funk song.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Fate"
This is another typical early '80s soul/funk/pop/dance song.  I dig the bass line, which can be said about most songs that have elements of funk.