Morning Call Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. Sign up for The New StatesmanвЂ™s newsletters Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. вЂњYou jump in, and then you jump out again.

вЂњThere are elevators in East Germany that go round a loop rather than up and down, and they have no doors,вЂќ вЂ“ she pushes her index fingers round to illustrate. She was tiny and wiry in her black leather assemblage вЂ“ and she looked just like Lisa Stansfield. She decided she looked вЂњlike John Hurt on acidвЂќ, so she threw some shapes for a different vibe, brandishing an invisible gun like one of CharlieвЂ™s Angels. Earlier in the day, at a photo shoot in Kentish Town, she grabbed her glasses to examine the first run of portraits as they were delivered on to a laptop. Lisa does the vibrating simian to express situations in which she wasnвЂ™t entirely comfortable. Only, she had a huge perm then, which stuck out like this вЂ“ her arms arc round her head вЂ“ and made her look вЂњlike Kevin Keegan. And this is what she looked like at 14, singing in the working menвЂ™s clubs of Rochdale. This is what she looked like, apparently, on the Pete Waterman ITV show Motown Mania in 2000, which she didnвЂ™t want to take part in because it was so вЂњfucking naffвЂќ. Head down and shoulders hunched, she draws her arms in front of her and swings them in a simian manner, her entire body and baker boy cap vibrating as if she is caught in a chill wind. I do wonder if sheвЂ™d get played now on the same stations where she once scored her massive hits.Lisa Stansfield likes to do an impression of Lisa Stansfield. She continues to do that even now -В having released several fantastic albums (check out her album The Moment). Stansfield enabled storytelling to transcend radio formats. Whether Adele would admit it or even knows it, Stansfield contributed to her journey. It was a time when a Brit soul singer could hit the top of the urban aka вЂњblackвЂќ aka R&B charts and it not be questioned as cultural appropriation. A time when music wasnвЂ™t segregated or relegated to subgenres and subcategories. The impact of Stansfield and вЂњAll WomanвЂќ is a testament to the time and of an era long gone. It is worth noting that the R&B charts back then was all-encompassing вЂ“ there was no Adult R&B and this was pre-hip-hop becoming the mainstream component to R&B stations.

Remarkably, the song stalled on Top 40 radio and only reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. The storytelling is crisp and Stansfield vocals over the beautiful orchestration conveys such depth, sadness yet a strength thatвЂ™s undeniable.ДЄlso See Are K-pop's 'It Couple' HyunA and DAWN Engaged? The heartbreaking ballad tells the story of a long-suffering wife whoвЂ™s in a relationship where the spark has faded and the mutual love to support one another has waned. Just listen to вЂњAll WomanвЂќ and youвЂ™ll know why.

But that begs the question then, what is it about the Brits that get them on the R&B charts without pandering and just being themselves? ItвЂ™s a trick they use (or perhaps being less skeptical, they feel) to gain a larger audience and get вЂњcredвЂќ for being seen as a legit performer for the community.

White stars like Justin Timberlake and Ariana Grande (and there are so many others) only chart when they are featured or are featuring other R&B or Hip-Hop artists on their songs. As of late, besides Robin Thicke, there really hasnвЂ™t been any other artist who has truly been embraced on the format. Teena Marie was the big exception while singers like George Michael and Simply Red managed to do that with particular songs. This got solidified 30 years ago when her ballad вЂњAll WomanвЂќ released and went straight to Number One on the R&B chart.ДЄlso See Red Hot Chili Peppers Preview New LP With вЂBlack SummerвЂ™ VideoДЄt the time, white artists did manage to get steady airplay on R&B stations вЂ“ but rarely reached the top of the charts. WeвЂ™re talking about the great Lisa Stansfield, who by my accounts, is probably the only white woman to ever bring down the house at The Apollo and despite her demure stature and thick Rochdale accent, she was beloved and embraced by the black community. Yes, her records were deemed too вЂurbanвЂ™ for pop radio! Now imagine a time, 30 years ago, when another white British singer was so easily embraced by those same stations that rather than face backlash there, she actually found her singles stalling on the Top 40 chart instead. Despite these reservations, the song has since made the Top 10, fitting nicely between such artists as Silk Sonic, H.E.R. While the song sonically is a perfect match, and the singer had previously scored a Number One hit at the format with вЂњHello,вЂќ there was some trepidation about playing the song. Recently, some radio executives were questioning the addition of AdeleвЂ™s вЂњ Easy On MeвЂќ to the Adult R&B playlist.

Lisa stansfield