Joyce 'Fenderella' Irby - Maximum Thrust, 1989

This album was mostly produced by Joyce ‘Fenderella’ Irby herself with help from Dallas Austin, and also Bernadette Cooper. Fenderella used to be in Klymaxx who had several pop and club hits in the 80’s. She signed with Motown in 1989 to release this, her first and only solo album to date. It didn’t do very well.

Mr DJ (feat Doug E. Fresh) was the lead single, it’s not bad at all, not that catchy, not compared to her hits with Klymaxx like The Men All Pause, or Meeting In The Ladies Room, for example. This was the albums only hit, making #7 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart.


I’m Available sees Fenderella team up with Bernadette Cooper (ex – Klymaxx) who not only produces this jam, but provides some of her famous talk/singing. I really quite like this one. Its frivolous and fun and its nice to hear anything these two girls do together.

She’s Not My Lover is perhaps my favourite, I love toward the end of the track when the guy gets pissed at all of Fenderella’s questions and comments on what he was doing with another girl, and fesses up! This was the albums second single, and was a great choice.

I Love You is quite nice, its a slow jam slightly reminiscent of Karen White’s Superwoman, mixed with Klymaxx’s 1986 hit I Miss You. Like the rest of the album it has an air of cool that stops it being sickly. Perhaps this could’ve been a potential single. This was also produced by Bernadette Cooper.

Let’s Do It is pretty fun, its a hip-pop rap that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Salt n Pepa album, it seems to sample a bit of Push it and a lot of Vanity 6’s Nasty Girl, which gets my vote! In fact this is so trashy, I love it! Lots of scratches, does go on a bit though... Fenderella keeps the rapping going into the next song, the title track – Maximum Thrust, easily the weakest track so far.


Guardian Angel is reasonable, but pure filler. It’s a mid-tempo, slickly produced number, with not much else going for it. I’ll be There is a cute duet with Anthony Bailey, about whom I know nothing, pure schmaltz!

Go-Go Girl is okay, picks up the beat again, but certainly not memorable. Kind of says it all about this album this album, there are a few good tracks, mainly the two that Bernadette Cooper produced - she was great. I will do a review of her album soon.

The main problem with the album is that it’s a bit self indulgent, there are great ideas, fresh production, fun guest appearances, but the songs go on too long in places and could have done with losing a minute or so. None of the lyrics or hooks are strong enough to warrant five or six minutes. Shortly after her solo career went tits up, she became involved in promoting the city of Atlanta as a centre of urban music as well as developing new acts.

Video - She’s Not My Lover -> http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q7hbtfvqTQU
Video – Mr DJ -> http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EqciC2VVRRo


Download - Mr DJ; I'm Available; She's Not My Lover; Let's Do It -> http://www.zippyshare.com/v/51527819/file.html