Randy Crawford: Everything Must Change (1976) / Miss Randy Crawford (1977) ... plus

Randy Crawford's initial notoriety came from her fiery vocal on 'Street Life,' a song matching her with R&B veterans the Crusaders in 1979. Crawford was born in Macon and grew up in Cincinnati; she worked in clubs as a teen, accompanied by her father. Crawford was lead vocalist in a group that included bassist Bootsy Collins before touring as George Benson's opening act in 1972. Cannonball Adderley invited her to sing on his LP Big Man. She recorded 'Don't Get Caught in Love's Triangle,' a song produced by Johnny Bristol, during a short stay on the label. She soon moved to Warner Bros., and after 'Street Life,' recorded and toured Europe with the Crusaders. Crawford was tabbed Most Outstanding Performer at the 1980 Tokyo Music Festival. She remained with Warner Bros. through the '80s and early '90s, but was unable to score either a big R&B hit or major crossover smash, despite having one of the most readily identifiable voices and distinctive approaches of any contemporary female vocalist. Randy Crawford's first solo album Everything Must Change (1976) was produced by Stewart Levine. Like the albums that followed, it's a virtual masterpiece; the studio was crawling with heavyweights, and Crawford always brings out the best in everyone involved. Her version of 'I've Never Been to Me' bests Charlene's original, and even Dennis Edwards' emotional ordeal. The title track represents nearly five minutes of social drama, and she makes 'I'm Easy,' 'I Had to See Him One More Time,' and 'Don't Let Me Down,' so personal you think she's singing about you. Her second release, Miss Randy Crawford (1977), was produced by Bob Montgomery (Bobby Goldsboro, Billy Sherrill) with some tracks having a slight country-ish/Southern soul feel to them. It's a perfect showcase for Crawford's interpretive skill. The singer makes the Don Henley/Glenn Frey song 'Desperado' and the Mack Gordon/Harry Warren standard 'At Last,' her own. The former and her erotically charged take on Paul Kelly's 'Under the Influence of You' received airplay on R&B/soul-formatted FM stations. I added as bonus tracks the aforementioned 'Don't Get Caught in Love's Triangle,' from 1973, 'Street Life', the grooving classic that scored top slots on the Billboard jazz, dance, and black charts in 1979, and her collaboration on Steve Hackett's album Please Don't Touch, from 1978, 'Hoping Love Will Last'. Never a huge star in her homeland, Randy Crawford is, nevertheless, one of the most talented, experienced, and underrated vocalists in the industry. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Randy Crawford singing one of her biggest hits 'Street Life':

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