I'm Talking

An ephemeral Australian dance-pop outfit grounded in post-disco R&B, I'm Talking traversed considerable stylistic territory between its formation in 1983 and its dissolution in 1987. Following the breakup of Essendon Airport, saxophonist Ian Cox, guitarist Robert Goodge, and bassist Barbara Hogarth launched the group. Eschewing the unorthodox punk-funk suited to cult imprints such as ZE and 99, the core trio pursued a more commercial path by recruiting keyboardist Stephen Charlesworth, drummer Cameron Newman, and vocalists Suzanne Abeyratne (aka Zan) and Kate Ceberano. The band signed with Regular Records, which WEA distributed throughout Australia at the time, and blended spring-loaded pop-funk, pure R&B balladry, and freestyle through a luminous mix of live and programmed instruments. During 1984 and 1985 the group issued several singles along with soundtrack contributions, most notably “Trust Me,” “Lead the Way,” and its version of Rose Royce’s “Love Don't Live Here Anymore,” each of which charted on the ARIA survey. Those recordings preceded the 1986 album Bear Witness. Produced by Fred Maher (Material, Scritti Politti) and Martyn Webster (Anne Clark, ABC), the LP climbed to number 15 on the ARIA albums chart, aided by the Top Ten singles “Do You Wanna Be?” and “Holy Word.” Within a year, however, successive personnel shifts prompted the band’s breakup. Abeyratne and Ceberano each issued solo material, while the remaining members pursued separate and joint projects in assorted configurations. Bear Witness received a remastered and expanded reissue in 2018.