Barbara Acklin: The Complete Barbara Acklin on Brunswick Records (1968-1973)

Assembling all five of the LPs Chicago Soul diva Barbara Acklin cut for Brunswick between 1968 and 1973 - an output totaling 45 songs - this 2 cd compilation offers the kind of all-inclusive, respectful treatment only afforded to first rate artists. The first cd gathers Acklin's first and finest LPs for the label. Love Makes a Woman immediately establishes the supple, sophisticated sound that separated Acklin from her grittier Windy City rivals. The buoyant title cut would prove her biggest hit, but she also proves herself a skilled interpreter of the Bacharach/David catalog via soulful renditions of the syrupy 'What the World Needs Now' and the sultry 'The Look of Love.' But despite the success of 'Love Makes a Woman,' Brunswick refused to do right by Acklin. With her remarkable 'Am I the Same Girl' poised for chart triumph, the label stripped away her potent vocals, added a piano, and released the track as the Young-Holt Unlimited instrumental 'Soulful Strut,' which proved a massive hit in its own right. The original 'Am I the Same Girl' is the centerpiece of Seven Days of Night, and while it remains a high-water mark of Chicago soul, much of the album maintains a similar level of excellence. Record's nuanced melodies and sublime arrangements fit Acklin's soulful vocals like a glove. The second cd of the set only offers Someone Else's Arms in its entirety (because both I Did It and I Call It Trouble featured performances already available on other LPs), along with the cuts exclusive to the additional albums. Saddled with far too many cover songs, many of them suffering from awkward and overbaked arrangements, Acklin largely fails to recapture the brilliance of past hits, although when she catches fire, as on the sublime 'Someone Else's Arms,' 'I Call It Trouble,' and 'After You,' all co-written by the Chi-Lites' Eugene Record, or on the funny 'I'll Bake Me a Man,' the results are remarkable. Undoubtedly, this is the most comprehensive collection available of Acklin's Brunswick catalogue. For completists. Once again, I must thank Martin for sharing this with all of us. If you would also want her 1975 release for Capitol, A Place in the Sun, go here. http://allmusic.com/

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