I'm a huge fan of Rod Temperton. You might not know his name, but the Brit has written huge pop hits like "Thriller" (Michael Jackson), "Give Me the Night" (George Benson) and "Yah Mo B There."
"Mystery," a song first recorded by vocal group The Manhattan Transfer for their Bodies and Souls album, is one of Temperton's more mellow compositions. Its laid-back bass line and drum groove brings to mind the luxurious R&B of Sade. I would tell you who was responsible for the killer grooves on the track, but I own the CD version of Bodies and Souls, and they don't include studio musician credits.
Janis Siegel's lead vocal work is as smooth and slinky as it needs to be, finding its way in the pocket with ease. Doing some research on Siegel, I was not surprised to find out she's a jazz-trained singer.
"Mystery" was released as a single in 1983, but it only reached #80 on the R&B chart and #102 on the Pop chart. The song would have a second life three years later when Anita Baker included a smouldering version of "Mystery" on her breakthrough album, Rapture.