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martes, 31 de marzo de 2009
Ike & Tina Turner: The Kent Years (1964-1967)
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lunes, 30 de marzo de 2009
Kiki Dee: Love Makes the World Go Round - The Motown Years (2005)
Kiki Dee permorming 'You Made Me So Very Happy' on the Benny Hill Show, 1971:
Bettye LaVette: Souvenirs (2000)
Bettye LaVette is one of the greatest soul singers in music history, possessed of an incredibly expressive voice that one moment will exude a formidable level of strength and intensity and the next will appear vulnerable, reflective, reeking of heartbreak. Unfortunately, it says much about the vagaries of the popular music industry that, although LaVette has been recording for over four decades, up to this point she has remained criminally unknown. Despite the wealth of quality recordings that Bettye cut over the years, only six of her forty-fives managed to chart R&B and none of them broke into the pop Top 100. That is something unbelievable for a singer of her stature. Rather than enjoying the sustained success that by right should have been hers, her career has been haunted by what she refers to as “buzzard luck.” In 1972, on her second go round with Atlantic Records, LaVette headed down to Muscle Shoals with the Memphis Horns and producer Brad Shapiro to cut her first full-length album. The recordings were mastered and readied for release under the title Child of the Seventies before the powers-at-be at Atlantic mysteriously pulled the plug, unconscionably shelving the record for nearly thirty years before it was released in 2000 on Art and Soul under the new title Souvenirs. Soul fans the world over were stunned by what was clearly a heretofore unknown masterpiece. The backing is classic Muscle Shoals, in this case rather guitar-based, with additional arrangements, such as strings, applied tastefully. It is a truly classic Southern Soul record made for grownups, with very little filler. ‘It Ain’t Easy,’ ‘Our Own Love Song’, ‘Ain’t Nothing Gonna Change Me,’ ‘If I Can’t Be Your Woman’ and ‘Souvenirs’ are simply superb and her interpretations of Kenny Rogers' ‘What Condition My Condition Is In’, Neil Young's ‘Heart of Gold’ and Free's ‘The Stealer’ clearly beat the original. Both sides of her first two singles, from 1962, are also included. Obviously, these tracks represent a major shift in mood, but are welcome nonetheless. http://www.amazon.com/
Oh, by the way, Bettye is NUMBER 1 on my list…
sábado, 28 de marzo de 2009
Yvonne Baker and The Sensations: Let Me In - The Complete Collection (1955-1968)
viernes, 27 de marzo de 2009
Denise Lasalle: Here I Am Again (1975) ... Plus
The "Queen of Soul Blues" is a title that rightly belongs to this survivor who has been recording for over three decades. Not only does she have a phat, supple blues voice but she's a great songwriter and even a producer. Having moved to Chicago in 1954 to pursue a career as a fiction writer, Denise LaSalle turned to songwriting and, by the late 60s, had begun to record for Billy "The Kid" Emerson's Tarpon label, on which she achieved a sizeable local hit, ‘A Love Reputation’, in 1967. In 1969, she formed Crajon productions with her husband, Bill Jones, and also began working with producer Willie Mitchell in Memphis. After a period writing and producing for other artists, LaSalle returned to recording her own compositions, and one of the first results, ‘Trapped By a Thing Called Love’, released on Westbound in 1971, reached number 1 in the US R&B charts and climbed to the US pop Top 20. After that, other excellent, sometimes uncompromising singles followed, plus three fantastic albums for Westbound released between 1972 and 1975. A stylist in the mould of Laura Lee, Ann Peebles and Millie Jackson, LaSalle continued to enjoy hits during the late-‘70s (for ABC), ‘80s and ‘90s (MCA & Malaco). Denise LaSalle cut this album, her third, ‘Here I Am Again’ in 1975, utilizing Bowlegs Miller's top-notch charts and the backing of the Memphis Horns and Muscle Shoals for some Southern Soul ala Stax and Hi Records. LaSalle displays power and flexibility throughout, whether bouncing atop a cool-breeze groove (‘Stay With Me Awhile’), digging into a bit of shuffle-bump salaciousness (‘I Wanna Do What's on Your Mind’), or hitting the vocal heights on a rootsy ballad (‘Don't Nobody Live Here (By the Name of Fool)’). She also invades Barry White territory on the sultry title track ‘Here I Am Again’. There are also 4 bonus tracks added to the original 1975 release. http://bluescritic.com, http://www.oldies.com/
jueves, 26 de marzo de 2009
Sharon Cash: He Lives Within My Soul (1970)
miércoles, 25 de marzo de 2009
The Flirtations: Sounds Like the Flirtations (1969) ... plus
Second, a performance of 'Someone Out There' on a Spanish TV Show conducted by Joaquin Prat, who embarrass the girls asking them about their marital status and the name of the boys they have in mind (being one of The Fantastics and Steve Wonder for the Pearce sisters). This was the third time they visited Spain and, after that, probably the last one!:
And last, but not least, a clip of 1972 Polydor single 'Hold on to Me Babe'. It's anyone's guess what the girls are doing in a sawmill, but it's pretty safe to assume that health and safety regulations wouldn't enable this clip to be made these days!:
martes, 24 de marzo de 2009
Ann Peebles: This Is Ann Peebles (1969)
A diminutive singer with a powerful voice and an even stronger attitude, Ann Peebles was one of the artists who defined Willie Mitchell's legendary Memphis soul label Hi Records, along with Al Green and O.V. Wright. Easily the best female singer in the Hi stable, Peebles ranked among the finest deep Southern soul singers of the decade and her recordings, although not always appreciated on the charts as they often merited, hold up among the best of their era. She released her debut single ‘Walk Away’ in 1969, which shot to an impressive number 22 on the Billboard Top 100 R&B singles chart in April. Following a second single, ‘Give Me Some Credit,’ Hi issued Peebles' debut LP, This Is Ann Peebles. Unlike her subsequent albums, Peebles' first release did not contain any of her own original material, but featured great covers of Otis Redding's ‘Respect,’ Aretha Franklin's ‘Chain of Fools,’ and Fontella Bass's ‘Rescue Me,’ It also included the Club Rosewood song ‘Steal Away’ and the "Bowlegs" Miller composition ‘Won't You Try Me.’ I added five bonus tracks to the original release, 'Part Time Love', 'I'll Get Along', 'I Still Love You', 'Generation Gap' and 'I Can't Let You Go', 17 tracks in total. The greatest Peebles' albums were produced later, in a burst of collective creativity between 1972 and 1976, but this 1969 fantastic debut was a perfect first taste of what was to come. Ann Peebles has always been her own person, known as a real "singers' singer" and a "musicians' musician”. Perhaps this explains, at least in part, why she has had such an influence on real soul music since her big time in the early ‘70s. Needless to say, she is one of my favorite soul sisters. http://www.artistdirect.com, http://www.musicianguide.com/
Ann Peebles Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival with Paul Brown on Keyboards, Malcolm Cullen on Guitar, Curtis Steele on Drums and Randy Middleton on Bass:
lunes, 23 de marzo de 2009
Margie Joseph: Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression/Phase II (1971)
Loleatta Holloway: The Hotlanta Soul of Loleatta Holloway (1971-1975)
With her full-bodied gospelized vocals, Loleatta Holloway epitomized like no other singer of her day the transition of African-American popular music from soul to disco. Years before becoming the hot club queen with ‘Love Sensation’ and other 12-inch cuts, Loleatta Holloway laid down some of the most fantastic female southern soul of the early ‘70s, an early example of the growing strength of the Hotlanta scene, quite different from Memphis' and Miami's. Her double-sided hit 'Our Love' / 'Mother of Shame' charted in 1973 and were included on her debut album, ‘Loleatta’, which also featured a cover of Syl Johnson’s Memphis groover ‘We Did It’, Sam Dee's typically heartfelt 'So Can I' and the magnificent cheating opus 'Part Time Lover, Full Time Fool'. Two years after, ‘Cry to Me’ gave Holloway her highest charting solo single on the R&B and pop charts and it is now acknowledged as a deep soul classic. The album of the same name, which followed, maintained that quality threshold. This early work has wonderful arrangements, excellent production, and some really top-shelf songwriting that already shows a really sophisticated side of Holloway's talents. The set not only brings together the cream of her first releases, there are also five previously unissued cuts which confirm her premium status at that time. Although it is the stone ballads which have stood the test of time the best, this is by no means a collection only for deep soul freaks. There are some first class finger-snappers (listen to the track below) and one or two funky offerings as well. Partially taken from John Ridley’s original liner notes.
sábado, 21 de marzo de 2009
Rosetta Hightower: Hightower (1971)
viernes, 20 de marzo de 2009
Mary Wells: Servin' Up Some Soul (1968)
Servin' Up Some Soul is the eleventh overall album released by R&B legend Mary Wells, released in 1968 on the Jubilee record label. The success of ‘The Doctor’ and its flip, ‘Two Lovers History,’ prompted Jubilee to rush-release a whole album, which consisted of six originals, written by Mary Wells-Womack and Cecil Womack, and some remakes. Generally the sound here is close to Stax/Volt with a touch of Ike Turner's guitar work, and her voice has a high, wavery quality that's oddly reminiscent of Smokey Robinson. Part of the explanation is that her voice is so husky, when she's in her high register she sounds like a man singing falsetto. Cecil, now known as Zekkariyas, plays guitar and supplies backing vocals. The bluesy, deep soul inspired ‘Woman in Love,’ is saddled with brazen Memphis horns that nearly overpower her lead. ‘Two Lovers History’ is better, more mainstream R&B, Mary's vocal is self assuring and alluring, and the horns are not intrusive. ‘Bye Bye Baby,’ her first Motown release, gets an appreciated update, but maybe lacks the stark, rawness of the original. There is also a rendition of Betty Swann's ‘Make Me Yours’, which sounds as creamy as whipped butter. Womacks' soulful guitar introduces ‘The Doctor,’ a pleasant mid-tempo number that reached #65 on Billboards' Pop 100 Chart and #22 R&B, her biggest Jubilee single. Unfortunately, it was the last time a Mary Wells single would crack the Pop 100, though she would continue to have R&B hits. Servin' Up Some Soul would be her final album for thirteen years with 1981's In and Out of Love, as Come Together, recorded in 1969, wasn’t released until 1993. http://music.aol.com/, http://www.warr.org/
Mary Wells singing live 'My Guy' on Shindig, backing vocals courtesy of The Blossoms (1965):
The Soul Sisters: I Can't Stand It (1964-1968)
miércoles, 18 de marzo de 2009
Fontella Bass - The Very Best of Checker/Chess (1965-1968)
The 1965 classic ‘Rescue Me’ is widely regarded as the greatest record Aretha Franklin never made. The song in question was instead cut by Fontella Bass, who, like Franklin, was a singer who channeled the power and passion of her gospel roots to create some of the finest music of soul's golden age. This set is the most comprehensive anthology ever assembled of the great sides the St. Louis-born vocalist recorded for Checker/Chess Records in the mid-'60s. It includes the entirety of her 1966 The New Look album - largely consisting of contemporary covers -, as well as three duets with Bobby McClure - much in the mode of some of the more famous duets coming from Detroit or New York -, plus ten tracks from singles not previously included on album. There are indications that Checker were slightly caught out by the runaway success of ‘Rescue Me’ and weren't sure quite what to do with her, as some of these subsequent singles sound like blatant attempts to capitalize on her hit by sounding as much like it as possible. Some of her best material, conversely, was buried on B-sides, for example ‘The Soul of a Man’ and the duet with Bobby McClure ‘Don't Jump’, which became a big favourite despite being consigned to the other side of flop single ‘You're Gonna Miss Me’. This compilation also shows an evolution in music, as Bass sings in styles that include deep soul ala Atlantic, sweet soul ala Motown, uptown soul ala Wand and soaring soul ala Brunswick. I added ‘Don’t Jump’ as a bonus track, which was not originally included here. http://www.answers.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.amazon.com/
Fontella Bass' classic performance of 'Rescue Me' on Shindig (1965):
martes, 17 de marzo de 2009
Varetta Dillard: Got You on My Mind - Complete Recordings Vol.1 (1956-1961)
lunes, 16 de marzo de 2009
Gigi & The Charmaines: Cincinnati's Top ‘60s Girl Group (1960-1967)
domingo, 15 de marzo de 2009
Helene Smith: Sings Sweet Soul! (1964-1972)
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02. Willing and Able
03. The Pot Can't Talk About the Kettle
04. I Am Controlled by Your Love
05. Thrills and Chills
06. A Woman Will Do Wrong
07. True Love Don't Grow in the Trees
08. Wrong or Right He's My Baby
09. What's in the Lovin'
10. Pain in My Heart
11. You Got to Be A Man
12. Help Me to Keep What I've Got
viernes, 13 de marzo de 2009
Dee Dee Warwick: I Want to Be With You - The Mercury/Blue Rock Sessions (1965-69)
miércoles, 11 de marzo de 2009
Genie Brown: A Woman Alone (1973)
A1 That's How Heartaches Are Made (3:40)
A2 Maybe This Will Be the Morning (3:04)
A3 Can't Stop Talking (2:57)
A4 My First Night Alone Without You (3:31)
A5 Let Me Stand in Your Shadow (3:09)
B1 Take Me Where You Took Me Last Night (3:40)
B2 It's Gotta Be That Way (3:29)
B3 Wrapped In Love (3:12)
B4 You and Me (3:42)
B5 Life Is Beautiful When Love Is Everywhere (2:20)ee
martes, 10 de marzo de 2009
Ruby Johnson: I'll Run Your Heart Away (1962-1967)
lunes, 9 de marzo de 2009
Brenda Holloway: The Very Best (1999)
domingo, 8 de marzo de 2009
Dee Dee Sharp - The Best of Cameo Parkway (1962-1966)
Eula Cooper: Lost Queen of Georgia Soul (1967-1972)
01. Shake Daddy Shake
02. Heavenly Father
03. Try
04. Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things
05. I Can't Help If I Love You
06. That's How Much I Love You
07. Let Our Love Grow Higher
08. Have Faith in Me
09. Standing by Love
10. I Need You More
11. Mr. Henry
12. Beggars Can't Be Choosey
sábado, 7 de marzo de 2009
Betty Everett: The Fantasy Years (1970-1975)
jueves, 5 de marzo de 2009
Candi Staton: Candi (1974)
miércoles, 4 de marzo de 2009
LaVern Baker: See See Rider (1963) / Blues Ballads (1959)
Minnie Riperton: Perfect Angel / Adventures in Paradise (1974-75)
lunes, 2 de marzo de 2009
The Blossoms: Shockwave (1972)
The Blossoms singing 'Tell Him'(1964):
domingo, 1 de marzo de 2009
Millie Jackson: Millie Jackson (1972)
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Millie Jackson singing 'Hurts So Good' (Soul Train '73):
Barbara Mason: Oh, How It Hurts (1997) plus...