Esther Marrow: Newport News, Virginia (1971) / Sister Woman (1972)

Newport News, Virginia is the first of two rare albums cut in the early-'70s by Esther Marrow, easily one of the hardest singing sisters of her generation. Esther has got roots in gospel, but she is singing here in a righteous mode that features plenty of funky undercurrents in the backings, a style that hits harder than work by Aretha Franklin or any of the better-known female singers of the time, and which holds up beautifully over the years. Many tracks here are obscure ones, arranged tightly by Artie Butler and Gene Page, both of whom do a great job of blending fuller orchestrations with tighter drums on the bottom, giving the record a good kick on most tracks, but still shading in the tunes with enough sophistication to match Esther's interpretation of the work. The album is a real landmark of bad-walking soul, as hard-hitting as Marlena Shaw during her best years at Cadet, with titles that include 'No Answer Came', 'Money Honey', 'Walk Tall', 'Peaceful Man', 'Mama', 'Chains of Love', 'It's Been a Long Night', and 'He Don't Appreciate It'. Sister Woman, from 1972, is an overlooked gem in the Fantasy catalog of the '70s. The album is the second of the two secular soul albums cut by Marrow and quite possibly the best of the bunch, too. Esther has got some great help on the set from arrangers Richard Tee, Bernard Purdie, and Bobby Scott, each of whom set Marrow up with some small group backing that keeps things tight and soulful throughout, thanks in big part to the drum work, which is handled by Purdie, Jimmy Johnson, and Idris Muhammad. Other players include Tee on organ and piano, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Ralph McDonald on congas, whose percussion really helps shape the sound of most of the grooves. There is a horn section too, used sparingly, and there is also a bit of backing vocals from The Reflections, although Esther is pretty much in the lead on all numbers. Titles include 'Things Ain't Right', 'Trade Winds', 'Ask Me to Dance', 'Ghetto', and 'Woman in the Window'. http://www.dustygroove.com/
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"Queen" Esther Marrow with HGS and Leroy ''Lefty'' Thompson singing 'Let The Good Times Roll' live:

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Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers sing 'Precious Lord', 1993 :

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VA: Atlantic Unearthed - Soul Sisters (1966-73)

Atlantic Records (along with its Atco Records imprint) was pretty much the center of all things soul in the late '60s and early '70s, thanks in no small part to the label's recording and licensing agreements with Stax Records and the ever watchful eyes (and ears) of producer Jerry Wexler. This interesting set collects 16 recordings made for Atlantic by female soul and R&B artists between 1966 and 1973. The featured artists range from stars like Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles, to artists only familiar to soul aficionados, such as Margie Joseph (nicknamed “the next Aretha”) and Doris Troy. The collection of singers illustrates the interconnectedness of the soul and R&B industry in the '60s and beyond: Dee Dee Warwick, sister of Dionne Warwick, appears here, as do The Sweet Inspirations, a quintet that included Myrna Smith (Dionne Warwick’s cousin), Sylvia Shemwell (sister of Judy Clay, also represented on this album), and Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston's mother). Many of the songs on this compilation are unfamiliar, even if the singers are not. Some of them are covers of well-known hits, such as Aretha’s bluesy 'My Way,' which rivals both Sinatra’s and the Sex Pistols’ versions, as well as Dee Dee Warwick’s earthy rendition of 'Rescue Me.' Many of the tracks had only been released as singles, and consequently are rare treasures some thirty years later. Most valuable is the inclusion of several previously unreleased tracks: Margie Joseph’s 'It’s Growing,' Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles’ '(1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days,' The Sweet Inspirations’ 'Ain’t Nothing Gonna Change Me,' and Bettye Swann’s 'I Ain’t That Easy to Lose'. Why any of these tracks sat so long in the can is a mystery, as each is a revelation, particularly Franklin's cut. Sounding a bit like an alternative version of the peak days of soul, Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Sisters makes a solid coda to anyone's vintage soul library and is a perfect complement to The Girls Got Soul. http://blackgrooves.org/, http://www.allmusic.com/
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Candy & the Kisses: Do 'The 81' and Other Soul Hits (2001) ... plus

Armed with a fly name and gifted producers and writers, this Port Richmond, NY, group still didn't click. The group consisted of sisters Candy and Suzanne Nelson and their friend Jeanette Johnson. The Nelsons' father was a minister and they developed their singing skills in his church. For a while they were the Symphonettes but never recorded as such; they became Candy and the Kisses with their first release, 'After I Cry' b/w 'Let the Good Times Roll,' issued in 1963 on R&L Records. The hurtin' ballad sold well, where played, but it didn't get played much or in many places. 'The 81' b/w 'Two Happy People' (Cameo Records, 1964) was their biggest record; Kenny Gamble and Jerry Ross wrote the shuffler about the popular Philly dance. Leon Huff and Cindy Scott wrote the flip; Gamble & Huff later united to become Hall-of-Fame songwriters and producers. 'The 81' stopped short of Billboard's pop Top 40 and nested in the 50s. Cameo followed with Phil Spector's 'Soldier Baby (of Mine)' b/w 'Shakin' Time' (1965), but politics killed the potential two-sided hit and the Cameo deal. They signed with Scepter Records in 1965 and were assigned to the writing team of Josephine (Joshie) Armstead, Valerie Simpson, and Nicholas Ashford. However, excellent material like 'Keep on Searchin',' 'Sweet and Lovely,' 'Out in the Streets Again,' 'I'll Settle for You,' and 'Are You Trying to Get Rid of Me Baby,' fail to chart. Even a remake of the Shirelles' 1960 hit 'Tonight's the Night' and 'You Did the Best You Could' misfired. In 1968, the final Candy & the Kisses recording appeared on Decca Records; when 'Chains of Love' b/w 'Someone out There' didn't bust a grape, Candy retired. Suzanne, Jeanette, and new lead Beryl Martin tried again as Sweet Soul on Mercury Records in 1969. Their only single 'Oh No, Oh No' b/w 'If You Love Him' didn't win, place, or show, and they disbanded. This compilation properly focuses on the mid-'60s recordings of most interest to collectors, including all of their singles for the Cameo and Scepter labels, as well as three previously unissued tracks. I added as bonus tracks one Scepter unreleased track, 'Mr Creator', plus four cuts issued under the alias of Honey Love & the Love Notes (1965) and the Love Notes (1966), who included Harriet Laverne as a fourth member. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Mary Jane Hooper: Psychedelphia - Rare & Unreleased New Orleans Funk (1966-1970)

Sorely overlooked by everyone (save for major soul and funk fans) who enjoys soul music, the city of New Orleans was relegated to the backseat by their soul brethren in Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Nashville, somewhat unjustly. With the recent movement to unearth funk classics and rare vinyl, this wrong has been slowly corrected, most recently with the reissue of Mary Jane Hooper's finest performances. This funk diva remains one of the most shadowy figures in Crescent City soul history. Famed for her collaboration with legendary producer Eddie Bo, many believe she is simply an alias employed by singer Inez Cheatham, although Bo himself disputes such assertions. Hooper is in fact the stage name of one Sena Fletcher, who began her career singing gospel before crossing over to secular R&B backing Lee Dorsey. Upon signing to Bo's Scram label in 1966, Hooper issued her debut single, 'Don't Change Nothin'.' She eventually moved to Bo's Power label, where in 1968 she cut one of her best-known singles, 'That's How Strong My Love Is,' later licensed for national release by World Pacific. 'I've Got Reasons' followed later that year on Bo's renamed Power Pac imprint, but after the release of the two-part 'I've Got What You Need' (justly famed for drummer James Black's monster groove), Hooper effectively disappeared. Her vocal similarities to Cheatham (another Eddie Bo protégée) prompted many funk collectors to assume the two singers were one and the same, further muddying the waters of her history and recorded output. This collection of singles recorded for Scram Records includes her most well-known hit 'Psychedelphia' and is reason alone for beat junkies to consider listening to this compilation. But there are several other hidden treasures among the pile as well; 'I'm in a Loving Groove' and 'You've Got What I Want' are but two that could give 'Psychedelphia' a run for its money, and Fletcher's version of 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' is a beautifully haunting take on the classic song. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Shirley Ellis: The Complete Congress Recordings (2001) ... plus

Shirley Marie Elliston was born in the Bronx section of New York City in 1941, of West Indian ancestry. There were opportunities for ambitious young people in the music business in New York City in the '50s, and Shirley began writing songs. She had success early with a song she wrote titled 'One, Two, I Love You', which was recorded by the Heartbeats in 1957. She also performed as a singer with a group called the Metronomes in the '50s, once winning an award at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. In 1959 Shirley became acquainted with talented 33-year-old songwriter/producer Lincoln Chase, who became her manager and songwriting partner. He wrote a song for Shirley titled 'The Nitty Gritty', and arranged for her to record on the Congress label, which was a subsidiary of Kapp. The record label changed her name to Shirley Ellis. 'The Nitty Gritty' was released in late 1963 and a short time later went top ten. Many sources say that Shirley married Lincoln Chase, although others report her husband's name as Alphonso Elliston. After years of working as a songwriter and performer, Shirley Ellis became well known to a national audience through her success with 'The Nitty Gritty'. She followed with a sequel that became a minor hit, '(That's) What The Nitty Gritty Is' and another titled simply 'Puzzle Song'. Many of Shirley's records featured a driving sax, and lots of percussion. Shirley recalled some words from a childhood game she had played and discussed them with Lincoln Chase, who rearranged them into a song; 'The Name Game' came out in early 1965 and was quite popular, rising to number three. It was followed a few months later by another song with nursery-rhyme style lyrics that went top ten for Shirley Ellis, 'The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)'. She continued to work with Lincoln Chase and had a few minor hits before retiring from show business in the late 60's. The Complete Congress Recordings offers quite a bit to fans of '60s pop-soul. Her string of hits are all featured, along with other great Chase's compositions, like 'Get Out' and 'Takin' Care of Business', plus her surprisingly strong versions of R&B standards like 'Kansas City,' 'C.C. Rider,' and even 'Stagger Lee.' I included three bonus tracks: her charming 1961 solo debut on Shell as Shirley Elliston, 'Love Can Make You Know', and two of her most famous songs for Columbia, 'Soul Time' and 'Sugar Let’s Shing-A-Ling', from 1967. http://www.tsimon.com/

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Shirley on a TV appearance performing one of her biggest hits,'The Name Game':

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'The Clapping Song' was recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965, shortly after she hit it big with 'The Name Game'. The song made it to the top ten on the charts:

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Brenda & the Tabulations: The Top & Bottom, Epic, and Chocolate City Singles Collection (1969-1977)

Singer Brenda Payton and keyboardist Maurice Coates were the creative spark behind Philadelphia's Brenda & the Tabulations, and the pair wrote several impressive songs for the group, including the debut single 'Dry Your Eyes,' which was released by Gilda Woods' fledgling Dionn Records imprint at the end of 1966 and went Top Ten on the R&B charts and Top 20 on the pop charts early in 1967. When Dionn Records folded in 1969, the Tabulations landed on another Woods' imprint, Top & Bottom Records, and paired with producer and songwriter Van McCoy, continued to issue some outstanding singles, like 1969's airy soul delight 'The Touch of You,' a good seller in many R&B markets that features an endearing whisper/vocal from Brenda Payton, and their biggest record on the label, 1971's 'Right on the Tip of My Tongue,' which was written by the other two Tabulations, guitarist Eddie Jackson and drummer Jerry Jones. This set collects both of those songs along with the other singles the Tabulations released for Top & Bottom between 1969 and 1971, most of which get the soft soul treatment that exemplified Philly soul before the arrival of the harder-edged Philadelphia International sound, which obliterated everything that came before it. Other highlights here are 'Always & Forever,' 'A Love You Can Depend On,' 'Scuse Uz Y'All,' and 'And My Heart Sang (Tra La La)'. I added as bonus tracks the non-single cuts from the groups' first and only album on Top & Bottom Records, which dropped before the release of 'Right on the Tip of My Tongue', including two crafty remakes of 'California Soul' and 'Someday We'll Be Together'. Also, I added some of the singles they recorded for Epic Records between 1972 and 1973, the most significant of which are 'One Girl Too Late,' 'Little Bit of Love' and 'Let Me Be Happy,' plus all of their Chocolate City '45s released in 1976 and 1977, including 'Take It or Leave It' and 'Let's Go All The Way (Down)'. 29 tracks in all!! For more B&T, check HERE. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Mitty Collier: Shades of Mitty Collier - The Chess Singles (1961-1968)

The mighty Chess Records of Chicago was home to some of the greatest female soul singers of the '60s. Arguably the finest of the lesser-known was Birmingham, Alabama-born Mitty Collier, whom the label signed up in 1960, when she was just 20 years old. She stayed with Chess for eight years, during which time the company recorded her sparingly, releasing 15 singles and one album, 1965’s Shades of a Genius, a set comprising songs originated by or associated with Ray Charles. Mitty started out singing R&B material in a local nightclub, to help subsidise her college education. Her life-changing moment came in 1959 when, while visiting her brother in Chicago during summer break, she won a talent show at the Regal Theater, an achievement she maintained for six weeks straight. Her prize was a spot on a bill headlined by B.B. King and Etta James. Fabled A&R man Ralph Bass witnessed the show and recommended to the Chess brothers that they give her a recording contract. Mitty debuted in 1961 with 'Gotta Get Away From It All', arranged and produced, respectively, by Riley Hampton and Roquel “Billy” Davis, legends to aficionados of Chicago soul. Her Chess swansong, released in 1968, was a new version of the same number, recorded at Fame Studios in Alabama with producer Rick Hall. She first figured on the charts in 1963 with 'I’m Your Part-Time Love', an answerback to Little Johnny Taylor’s 'Part-Time Love'. The record with which Mitty Collier will always be associated, the classic 'I Had a Talk With My Man', charted in 1964. Like its follow-up, 'No Faith, No Love', it was an adaptation of a number from the pen of leading gospel songerwriter James Cleveland. 'Sharing You', released in 1966, was Mitty’s only other hit. A decade ago, Chess themselves released a compilation of Mitty Collier recordings, but that now long deleted and much sought after set concentrated on her album. This collection, on the other hand, focuses on her singles. Each of her 15 A-sides is included, along with 9 more great tunes from the flips! Titles include 'My Babe', 'I've Got Love', 'Ain't That Love', 'My Party', 'Do It With Confidence', 'Git Out', 'Help Me', 'Like Only Yesterday' and 'For My Man'. http://www.acerecords.co.uk/

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Mitty Collier on a classic performance of her 1964 hit 'I Had a Talk With My Man':

Fontella Bass: Free (1972) ... plus

If Fontella Bass' 'Rescue Me' is the best soul single that Aretha Franklin never made, then Free is the lost classic that deserves space in any record collection housing worn-out copies of the Queen of Soul's I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and Spirit in the Dark. This album was done after her time at Chess Records, and after her work in Paris with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, though that is definitely not the best reference point for what this particular album sounds like, which is much more in the vein of Aretha, or at times Nina Simone. Reuniting Bass with producer Oliver Sain, who helmed her classic mid-'60s sides for Chess, Free draws on the singer's gospel roots to forge a deeply spiritual and moving examination of post-civil rights America. Cuts like 'Talking About Freedom,' 'To Be Free,' and 'My God, My Freedom, My Home' showcase the remarkable power and poignancy of Bass' vocals, couched beautifully by Sain's nuanced, blues-inspired arrangements. The strings, when they are present, are edgy enough not to make the album ever sound too overproduced. This expanded version of her 1972 Paula album Free, adds a new version of her classic 'Rescue Me' along with four B-sides: 'It Sure Is Good,' 'I'm Leaving the Choice to You,' 'Home Wrecker,' and 'It's Hard to Get Back In.' Bass wrote most of the songs here herself - including the touching blues ballads 'Wiping Tears' and 'I Need Love'-, along with a few collaborative efforts with her then-husband Lester Bowie, and all the tracks showcase her dynamic, dramatic approach to soul. In short, if you are interested in delving into late-'60s/early-'70s soul past the obvious masters, then you really can't go wrong with this album. http://www.answers.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.amazon.com/

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Letta Mbulu: Letta Mbulu Sings (1967) / Free Soul (1968)

With her performance at the Unity Festival Apartheid in 1991, Letta Mbulu returned triumphantly to her homeland of South Africa. Having been exiled, due to Apartheid, for more than a quarter century, Mbulu had gone from a teenager in the groundbreaking South African musical production King Kong of 1960 to one of the most influential singers to ever come out South Africa. In addition to recording such classic tracks as 'What is Wrong with Groovin’,' Mbulu added her soulful vocals to recordings and/or concerts with late jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderly, Michael Jackson, and Harry Belafonte. Mbulu, whose screen credits include, A Warm December and The Color Purple, performed the opening title track and most of the African music for the historical '70s miniseries Roots. During her lengthy exile, Mbulu remained committed to the music of her birth land. She helped to form South African Artists United (SAAU) in 1986, basing the group on the Union of South African Artists that grew from the African Jazz and Variety for whom she made her early debut. Mbulu's husband, Caiphus Semenya, who she met while touring with King Kong, plays an essential role in her music. Two of Mbulu best recordings are her debut album Letta Mbulu Sings (1967) and Free Soul (1968), both produced by David Axelrod. These albums were cut at a time when Axelrod was riding high for Capitol Records through work done with Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls, and both feature Rawls' arranger HB Barnum penning charts for Mbulu. It's an incredibly righteous work from Letta done in a very groovy '60s mode that goes way beyond the typical folksy treatment that other African soul singers were getting in the US at the time. The tunes on the set groove around in a nice bouncy mode throughout, making good use of Axelrod's sense of space and shape, and letting Letta's spectacular vocals step out in a setting that gives equal focus to American soul, African rhythms, and a hip globally-conscious vision. 20 tracks in all, including 'Pula Yetla', 'Mamani', 'My Son', 'Only When You're Mine Again', 'Kukuchi', 'What More Could Be Right', 'Where Does It Lead', 'West Wind', 'Qhinebe', 'Sexwaxwa', and 'Zola (Mra)'. For more Letta, look HERE. http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.allmusic.com/
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Merry Clayton: Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (1975) ... plus

Merry Clayton was among the most ubiquitous session singers of the '70s when she provided background vocals for everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Linda Ronstadt, Ringo Starr, Carole King, and Jerry Garcia to Billy Preston, the Blackbyrds, and the Brothers Johnson. She is especially famous for her contributions to the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' in 1969. But regrettably, Clayton wasn't as successful as a solo artist. One of the solid, but overlooked, solo albums Clayton recorded in the '70s was Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow, a really cool collaboration between her and Eugene McDaniels, a producer who really takes her music into new territory here. As with other perfect productions by McDaniels in the '70s, Gene really grabs the whole thing up and makes it his own adding a lot more funk to the mix than you might expect, and electrifying the instrumentation in ways that bump up Merry's vocals nicely. Even better, though (he wrote a number of tunes for the set) the kind of off-beat soul numbers that are typical from Eugene's own work, which help Merry move into a hip range of themes and topics. There's a righteous mix of funky jazz and soul on the record, a bit like the sound of Marlena Shaw's Blue Note albums, and McDaniels titles include 'Gold Fever', 'If I Lose', 'Gets Hard Sometimes', and 'Sink or Swim'. Other highlights range from the gritty 'Do What You Know' and a very funky remake of Bob Dylan's 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35' to Deniece Williams' 'How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away,' which Clayton recorded before either the Emotions or Williams herself. The title track, meanwhile, is the memorable theme song from the '70s cop show Baretta. I added SEVEN bonus tracks, consisting on the four cuts she contributed with to the Brewster McCloud's OST (1970), her impassioned rendition of 'The Acid Queen,' taken from the adaptation that The London Symphony Orchestra made of the Who's rock opera Tommy in 1972, and two tracks from the Big Sur Folk Festival, recorded live in Monterrey, which were compiled on the 1971's Celebration album. http://www.dustygroove.com/,http://www.allmusic.com/. Thanks to EliotW for sharing this!

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Merry Clayton performing 'Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow' on Soul Train, 1975: