Watley’s Latest Move Touches Her Soul

When the name Jody Watley arises, the words “dance diva” often precede it.

It’s not hard to figure why. Watley got her start as a dancer on TV’s “Soul Train” in the mid-’70s. In 1977, she began a seven-year stint as a singer in the commercially potent dance band Shalamar.

By 1987, the vocalist was drawing Janet Jackson comparisons when her debut album spawned three Top 10 hits, all designed to inspire dance-floor fever.

But when Watley performs at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana on Saturday, she’s most looking forward to an unplugged segment devoted to songs with relatively low-key arrangements.

“Over the last couple of years on most of the television appearances I’ve done, I’ve tried to perform acoustically with guitars or piano,” she said. “People are always surprised because it’s so unexpected. There’s such a purity to just vocals and acoustic [instruments].”

In concert, Watley still performs her up-tempo material with pleasure and conviction. Yet her music has become steadily more organic since her first few dance-happy albums in the late ‘80s.

Wanting to expand beyond the programmed instrumental thrust of some of her early dance records, Watley began to employ more live musicians on albums such as 1991’s “Affairs of the Heart” and 1993’s “Intimacy.”

But as her music matured, her once-large following began to wane. Her first album and the follow-up, “Larger Than Life,” were big sellers despite critical barbs. Now, Watley is winning over more critics with her jazzy R & B but is attracting fewer fans.

Watley feels that MCA Records, her longtime label she left several years ago, wasn’t always supportive of her desire to grow beyond dance music.

She was signed to MCA in the mid-’80s by respected A & R executive Jheryl Busby. But when he left to become chief executive officer at Motown after her second record, Watley’s commercial fortunes began to slide. She says the company also was undergoing other structural changes that may have adversely affected her.

“People [at MCA] were thinking of Jody Watley in terms of dance music,” she said. “[But I was interested in] bringing more of that classic soul into it because that’s what I grew up with. If you’re not trying to do what everybody is doing, it’s like, ‘Why are you doing that?’ You really need a key person in the company who will say, ‘All right, I’m with you on this.’ ”

When Watley left MCA, she didn’t bother approaching other record companies. Instead, she formed Avitone and signed an agreement with an independent distributor.

The singer cut “Affection” in 1995 for her company, but the album went largely unnoticed.

“Trying to do that album independently wasn’t the wisest decision,” she said. “I recognized that as soon as ‘Affection’ [was released]. Every artist needs [significant] marketing and promotional dollars or else people won’t know you have a record out.

“Life for me is: You don’t make mistakes, you just learn lessons. As an artist, you have to be on a quest to be a better business person. I’m definitely learning about that.”

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The 37-year-old Chicago native is now talking to several major labels and hopes to have an album of new material out this year.

She also helped MCA package and promote the just-released compilation of her MCA material, “Jody Watley’s Greatest Hits.”

The 13-track disc charts her maturation from dance queen to self-described “adult artist” via her songwriting, which became increasingly sophisticated after her first two dance albums.

Watley has become a particularly perceptive and intelligent lyricist regarding affairs of the heart. Songs such as “When a Man Loves a Woman” (not the Percy Sledge hit) and “Ecstasy” challenge men and women to seek love that is meaningful and enduring.

Love is one of the reasons that Watley, who lives in Los Angeles, has kept a rather low concert profile in recent years. A single mother, she limits live performances in part so she can devote more time to her children--Lauren, 13, and Arie, 3.

She wants them to have the stability that comes from having her home a lot.

“It’s hard sometimes, but it’s something I get immense joy from,” she said. “They enrich my life everyday. I hope I can be a good example for them. Kids also need good examples from their own homes.”

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Watley, who laughs easily, comes across as one who knows better than to place commercial success over artistic integrity and personal happiness.

“I’m not smitten by too many things,” she said. “I’ve kept it all in perspective. If you’re only in it to hear people calling your name constantly, [when] your career hits a stumbling block, then it’s, ‘Oh my gosh!’ The ultimate is peace of mind. It sounds like a cliche, but if you don’t have that, you can’t even appreciate what you have.”

* Jody Watley and Caustic perform Saturday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $18.50. (714) 957-0600.