Patti LaBelle vs. Jaguar Wright | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 7^th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), Patti LaBelle and Jaguar Wright contend for the best rendition of “Love, Need And Want You.” 

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 7^th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 Patti LaBelle and 🎙 Jaguar Wright contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Love, Need And Want You”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Patti LaBelle, “Love, Need And Want You”

💿 I’m In Love Again • 🏷 Philadelphia International • 🗓 1983 

“Honey, I love you / I do / More than you’ll ever know / It’s for sure / You can always count on my love / Forevermore.”🏆 two-time Grammy winner, 🎙 Patti LaBelle exhibited no shortage of love and devotion on 🎵 “Love, Need and Want You”, a single and surefire highlight from her sixth studio album, 💿 I’m In Love Again (1983). This smooth, 1980s Philly soul joint was written and produced by a formidable team: 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Kenneth Gamble and the late, great, Bunny Sigler. One of many career hits, “Love, Need and Want You” had a tough act to follow — 🎵 “If Only You Knew” graced the same LP, earning pop success as well. “Love, Need and Want You” was a success on the R&B charts but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 – go figure!

Despite the fact that “Love, Need and Want You” didn’t make a bigger splash on the mainstream, it ranks among the finest songs in the Patti LaBelle catalog.  With elite songwriting and that sweet Philly production supporting her, Ms. Patti is on fire 🔥. “Sugar, I want you so bad / I got a burning desire,” she sings so amorously, continuing, “My soul’s on fire / Can’t you see / You’re my everything.” She’s infatuated 🤩! Besides the unifying titular lyrics, arguably the best moment from this beloved Patti classic is when she sings:

“Baby, when we

When we’re together

Said, I’m alright and you’re alright

It’s like paradise

And I just want you to know how I feel

How I feel.”

🎵 “Love, Need and Want You” – a surefire, certified, Patti LaBelle classic!

Appears in 🔻:

• Patti LaBelle, “Love, Need and Want You”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 135 (2023)
• 15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 7 (2023)
• 13 Songs Where The Need Is Real (2023)

2. Jaguar Wright, “Love, Need And Want You”

💿 Denials Delusions And Decisions • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 2002

Covering a big-voiced soul singer is not easy – PERIOD. 🎙 Jaguar Wright proved she was up to the task on her 2002 debut album, 💿 Denials Delusions And Decisions. On the fourth track from Denials…, she covers the one-and-only 🎙 Patti LaBelle R&B hit, 🎵 “Love Need And Want You”, Despite having huge shoes to fill, the neo-soul artist proves she can hold her own.

“I love and need and want you, baby / I love and need and want you, baby…” The production is fitting, essentially reproducing the original 80s backdrop for the early aughts – the height of the neo-soul movement.  Wright keeps the Philly soul alive and well. There are no major tweaks in the sound, honestly.  Vocally, Wright brings an incredible amount of soul to the table.  Soulful she is, she NEVER forces things, letting things flow naturally.  Her expression and nuances capture the essence of the original, and the love-oriented song lyrics themselves, but it never feels as if she tries too hard.  Essentially, Wright brings an 80s R&B staple and introduces it to a new audience and new generation.  What is hard to believe is this marvelous love song, in Wright’s hands, is now two decades old! One thing is for sure – it NEVER grows old. 

Appears in 🔻:

• Jaguar Wright, “Love Need And Want You”: Covers No. 7 (2023)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

🎙 Patti LaBelle or 🎙 Jaguar Wright?  This one is simple: Ms. Patti wins! Wright does a fabulous job covering a classic, period.  Still, let’s keep it real – it is RARE that someone outduels Patti! As awesome as Jaguar sounds, Patti LaBelle is the GOAT. Enough said!

Patti LaBelle vs. Jaguar Wright: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 7 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Geffen, Philadelphia International; Antoni Shkraba via Pexels; andresilva5, talha khalil, Valentin Tikhonov via Pixabay; Nick Wang on Unsplash]