Maxine Weldon: Right On (1970)

One of those endlessly versatile vocalists who eventually earn the tag "song stylist," Maxine Weldon is equally at home singing soul, jazz, or blues, and often blurs the lines between all of them. Weldon cut her first LPs, Chilly Wind and Right On, for Mainstream over 1970-1971; despite an overall soul flavor, she received significant support from members of the Jazz Crusaders, among others. Weldon next turned up on the Monument label with 1974's Some Singin', a Southern-style country-soul outing that nonetheless bore the hallmark of Weldon's innate sophistication. It became her biggest seller, climbing into the Top 50 on the R&B album charts. She followed it in 1975 with Alone on My Own, but concentrated much less on recording in the years to come. Weldon remained active, though, performing regularly over the next several decades. She was a cast member of the Broadway show Black and Blue, touring with the European production from 1995-1997, and subsequently put together a revue called Wild Women Blues with singer Linda Hopkins. Maxine's first album, Right On, may well be her best. That is thanks to Artie Butler's tight use of soulful backings, often supported by rolling basslines, socking rhythms, and just the right amount of horns to push the album into outta site territory. There is a pretty large group behind Maxine on most numbers, including some LA studio jazz and funk talents like Carol Kaye on bass, Victor Feldman on vibes, Joe Sample on piano, and Plas Johnson on tenor and flute. Titles include the great tune ‘Right On’, plus ‘Johnny One Time’, ‘Grits Ain't Groceries’, ‘It Ain't Me Babe’, ‘Lodi’, ‘Tomorrow On My Mind’, and ‘Make It With You’. http://www.answers.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/

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