Monte Moir is in two words “bad ass.” The original and current keyboardist for The Original 7ven formerly The Time has always been mad creative in his solo efforts as songwriter and producer. He’s the man behind some impressive works for Janet Jackson, Alexander O’Neal, Gladys Knight. He’s also credited for working with Prince, Vanity 6, Deniece Williams and Thelma Houston to name a few. Songwriting has always been his first love and his first solo effort, “This Side of Paradise”, released in 2001 was about as far away from the sound of The Time as you could get but it is also far from boring. Not commercially successful but critically favored, “This Side of Paradise” is an organically soothing collection fused with adult contemporary pop, soft R&B and light jazz clearly showcasing Moir’s talent for songwriting and producing. This brings me to the featured video of this piece which is Janet Jackson’s “The Pleasure Principal”, written and produced by yep, Monte Moir. This was the sixth single from her third studio album “Control”. The song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, won for Best Choreography at the 1987 MTV Awards and got a nod for Best Female Video. For me on a personal note this video is in my top five best of all time!! It was about the genius of simplicity. A loft, a chair and a microphone stand. No supporting backup fillers, just Janet in a zone, solidifying the fact that outside of her brother, no one could compete with her moves. And I should know. And how you ask? I jumped over many a chair trying.
