By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

In August, Evelyn “Champagne” King, whose 1977 disco dusty “Shame” remains a classic of the genre, is releasing “Open Book,” her first new album in several years. King isn’t the only diva from the disco heyday to be making a significant comeback.

Thelma Houston’s 1976 hit single, “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” was a crossover smash that brought her both commercial radio play and considerable dance club success. Like King’s “Shame,” which it pre-dates, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” is a timeless standard of the era and has lost none its power to entice people to dance. Following a lengthy break from recording, Houston has returned with “A Woman’s Touch” (Shout Factory). Houston, who was a gospel-style Motown belter before she evolved into a disco diva, wisely strikes a balance between soulful interpretations of pop hits from the past few decades and dance-floor throwdowns that could go a long way in restoring her disco icon status on the new disc. Luther Vandross’s “Never Too Much” always possessed a subtly sexy beat, but in Houston’s capable hands it evolves into a “much” larger dance-oriented effort. Houston remains true to the spirit of both Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “That’s The Way of the World,” two songs you can move to without working up a serious sweat. The real workout arrives on Houston’s mighty fierce interpretation of a pair of Sylvester’s legendary (and parenthetical) disco masterworks, “Dance (Disco Heat)/You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).” If there is any justice in the political world of dance music, this medley will top the dance charts.

At around the same time that Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was heating things up on the airwaves and in the clubs, Deniece Williams was making waves of her own with her hit single “Free” from her major-label debut album “This Is Niecy.” Co-produced by Maurice Williams (of the aforementioned Earth, Wind & Fire), it was a splendid introduction to a distinctive performer. “Free” had its own distinctive dance vibe, but it was “Let’s Hear it For the Boy,” from the 1984 Kevin Bacon movie “Footloose,” that transformed her into a disco goddess. For the past 20 years, Williams shifted her focus to gospel-oriented recordings, but all of that changes with “Love, Niecy Style” (Shanachie). Eight of the 10 songs are delightful cover versions of some of Williams’s favorite pop songs, including “That’s How Heartaches Are Made,” “Lady Love Me,” Gwen Guthrie’s “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” and Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” Like Houston, Williams performs her own faithful rendition of Vandross’s “Never Too Much,” which ranks as one of the more rhythmic tracks on the album. Her reading of Stevie Wonder’s “If You Really Love Me” also has the potential to delight dancers.