Kelly Price has taken fans back to a session she still counts among her favorite songwriting memories: creating "Just for Me" for Karen Clark Sheard's 1997 solo debut, Finally Karen. Price says the opportunity was a dream come true for someone who had loved the Clark Sisters for years. What listeners may not have known is that the song they heard was shaped by a second approach to Karen's vocals.
In a throwback Instagram post, Price recalled that Finally Karen was recorded live in Detroit, while the label also wanted studio songs that could reach listeners across formats. Producer Stanley Brown brought her into the project to write what she described as a "Kelly Price type record" for Karen. Price joked that, as a lifelong Clark Sisters fan, she had imagined herself an honorary member of the family.
The song was "Just for Me," which appears as the opening track on Finally Karen. Price remembers Karen first recording a version in which she "Clarked It!"-her shorthand for the unmistakable vocal style fans know so well. According to Price, the label then wanted a smoother performance with a more mainstream feel, and Donald Lawrence came in to produce Karen's vocals for the version that made the record.
That detail invites an irresistible question: what did the first version sound like? Price did not share the recording in her account, but her description suggests two ways of presenting the same song-one built around Karen's full gospel instincts, the other shaped for a different kind of radio appeal. Which take would fans choose if they could hear them side by side?
Price also offered a clue for anyone revisiting the released track. She says the background parts are her voice, with Karen layered over them. That makes "Just for Me" a meeting of three recognizable talents: Price's writing and backing vocals, Karen's lead performance, and Lawrence's work on the vocals. Price said the collaboration remains a favorite from her songwriting history.
For Price, the memory is personal as well as musical. She was asked to write for a singer she had admired long before entering the studio. Nearly three decades later, she is still celebrating the song-and leaving gospel fans with one more reason to listen closely to the record they thought they knew.
