Flo Rida-I Cry

Weekly Chart Notes: Brenda Russell Talks Flo Rida's 'I Cry'

What does the smooth R&B singer think of the Sunshine State rapper's reworking of her 1988 hit ballad 'Piano in the Dark'?

Brenda Russell's "Piano in the Dark" now plays in a club. 

Rapper Flo Rida has turned her sultry ballad, which rose to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988, into the dance floor-ready "I Cry." The new interpretation bows this week at No. 81 on the Hot 100, returning the song's hook to the chart after a 24-year hiatus. (It also debuts on Rap Songs at No. 25 and Pop Songs at No. 36.)

Cry" actually samples a sample: Dutch duo Bingo Players first reworked "Piano" as "Cry (Just a Little)," which reached No. 15 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay in March. 

Russell, who first arrived on the Hot 100 in 1979 with the No. 30 hit "So Good, So Right," co-wrote "Piano" with Jeff Hull and Scott Cutler, the latter of whom co-penned Natalie Imbruglia's 1998 smash "Torn," among other melodic hits. "Piano" was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including song of the year, in 1989. 

What does Russell think of the transformation of "Piano" into two dance hits this year? 

"It's pretty cool that artists like Flo Rida and Bingo Players can be inspired to interpret a song like 'Piano in the Dark' in completely new genres," she tells Chart Beat. "As an artist and writer, it's the highest compliment we can be paid. 

"I never imagined 'Piano' as a dance hit (but) I'm thrilled that it's reaching a new generation of audiences." 

Following radio's playing of "Piano," Russell added the top 15 Adult Contemporary and top 40 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit "Stop Running Away" in 1990. The following year, the title cut from her 1988 album "Get Here" wound up climbing even higher on the Hot 100 (No. 5) than "Piano" - as recorded by Oleta Adams. Russell's original version had reached No. 37 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1988, but Adams' cover took hold as an anthem for loved ones at home missing those at battle in the Gulf War. 

"'Get Here' was a song I tried not to write because my record company [A&M] wanted a dance hit from me," Russell remembers. "When it wouldn't go away, I wrote it out to clear my palate. 

"I was living in Stockholm, Sweden at the time. Ironically, when Oleta Adams heard my version of the song for the first time, she was in a Stockholm record shop!" 

(The pair subsequently teamed in the studio, releasing the gospel-tinged ballad "We Will Find a Way" in 1994.) Russell's latest effort is the star-studded song "L.O.V.E. (Let One Voice Emerge)," which she co-wrote with Patti Austin, Siedah Garrett and Mervyn Warren. Sharing vocals are Fergie, Keke Palmer, Sheila E, Judith Hill, Lalah Hathaway, and Jenna Ushkowitz, aka, Tina Cohen-Chang of Fox TV's "Glee," as well as Russell, Austin and Garrett. 

The song (available on iTunes) accompanies a non-partisan campaign to reach out to the largest group of non-voters in America - nearly 20 million unmarried women - and support the Voter Participation Center, which has identified unmarried women as a crucial, yet unrecognized, constituency, and its partners. "The message is simple: Get registered and get to the polls on Nov. 6, "says VPC president Page Gardner. 

The video for "L.O.V.E." has garnered 110,000 YouTube views since its posting just less than two weeks ago. 

As Russell enjoys a new generation of fans appreciating her work, thanks to Flo Rida, she's likewise energized by making a difference via her new recording. 

"Dr. Maya Angelou, among others, has spoken eloquently in support of 'L.O.V.E.'," Russell says. 

"I am inspired by this project".