"Move Me No Mountain" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Aaron Schroeder. It was originally recorded in 1974 by Love Unlimited, a group organized and produced by Barry White. In 1975, Ragovoy arranged and produced a recording of the song by Dionne Warwick. Warwick's version used a slightly different melody in the song's chorus than the melody sung by Love Unlimited, and this variation has been used on subsequent recordings of the song. In 1980, Chaka Khan recorded a version of the song with production by Arif Mardin.
"Move Me No Mountain" was recorded in 1992 by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It was released as the second single from their third album, Volume III Just Right and features British singer Kofi (aka Carol Simms). It was a moderate hit in Europe, peaking at number 7 in Greece, number 10 in Portugal, number 31 in the United Kingdom and number 62 in the Netherlands. Outside Europe, "Move Me No Mountain" peaked at number 29 on the BillboardDance Club Songs chart in the US, number 40 in New Zealand and number 96 in Australia. A black-and-white music video was made to accompany the song. It features Kofi performing the song behind or in front of a waterfall.
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard commented that "empowered with the silky tones of new vocalist Kofi, second single from "Just Right" is a hearty mix of the act's signature nouveau soul and state-of-the-charts house beats." He also noted English DJ Joey Negro's "chipper remixes."[1] John Martinucci from Gavin Report called the song a "laid back house-flavored track with Kofi's smooth vocals", adding that former Snap! member Penny Ford "assists with background vocals."[2] Andy Beavers from Music Week stated that this cover version "is one of the standout tracks" of the album, adding it as "an obvious choice" featuring "sweet soulful vocals".[3] Orla Swift from Record-Journal described the song as "gospel-inflected" and also she picked it as "one of the album's strongest cuts".[4] Miranda Sawyer from Select wrote that it "skips along very nicely — sweet lovers' rock vocals (from reggae star Kofi) soaring over Soul II Soul's effortlessly clubby beat."[5]
Another editor, David Lubich commented in his review of Just Right, that the song shows "a glimpse of vocal talent".[6]