Carla Thomas, Mavis Staples, Inez Foxx and Judy Clay & More
Here are some of the best R&B performances you will ever hear from the vaults of the legendary Stax Records. Every cut is a gem that has often put me into serious search mode, trying to find more by all of these artists. Don't miss Judy Clay's BED OF ROSES for sheer power; but above all, pay special attention to Inez Foxxe's interpretation of Baby Washington's THE TIME. This is surely one of the most plaintive, heart-wrenching ballads ever recorded. Don't miss it!
Baby Washington, herself, wrote and recorded some gut-wrenching ballads that we all should hear. More about Baby coming soon.
Oh, Dusty ........how we will miss you! The queen of blue-eyed soul .........inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, just weeks after her untimely death. If I could take only one album to the proverbial "desert island," this would probably be it. This album does not include Dusty's big hits, but includes such an enormous range of songs that it bears listening over and over again. Whether her smokey, layered voice is belting out big pop anthems or lingering on the edge of heartbreak, you will be transfixed. Start off with "Something in Your Eyes" on CD #2 to relax into the soft side of her voice. Then follow it with "Sandra" to experience her at her most dramatic, taking us inside a housewife's nervous breakdown.........wow!
ARETHA FRANKLIN - Aretha Sings The Blues
........and boy does she! This is early (60's) Aretha, at her best. As one of the true legends of this (and the next) centruy, every music lover's collection must include some Aretha. From the first acappella note of "Drinking Again," this CD lays hooks in your heart. "Take a Look" should the anthem of the millenium - a haunting plea for the end of hate. I promise goose-bumps.
This album always seems to make me cry. There is an emotional "edge" to Karla's voice that cuts right to your heart. Primarily known as a song writer ( you will recognize several songs from the Ronstadt/Neville album "Cry Like a Rainstorm"), it's a shame she hasn't received more acclaim as a singer. This is a deeply emotional group of songs.
No R& B collection would be complete without the legendary Etta James. Whether she's belting out the blues or crooning ballads, the power and drive behind her voice is unmistakable. I first heard her on an old juke box in an old bar. I sat up and started listening then and have been listening ever since.
This double set contains most of her early hits and some great chestnuts like STOP THE WEDDING and ALL I COULD DO IS CRY. Her album covers are always great fun,too.
If you prefer a single
album, try Her
Best : The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection. I've also included
her biography, RAGE TO SURVIVE, published in 1998.
Nancy Wilson has recorded over 60 albums and continues to put out a new one every year or two- an amazing career. In trying to figure out how best to describe her, I came across this "review" from another fan. It describes her perfectly (except to say how beautiful she is), so I will just reprint it here:
"Mercer, Manilow and Wilson...an absolutely gorgeous CD As the liner notes will tell you, the lyrics of this CD are unfinished poems written by Johnny Mercer. These lyrics are just...beautiful. Innocent, sweet, charming - they give dignity to love and compassion and solitude and the privilege of loving another person. Barry Manilow took the lyrics and did an absolutely phenomenal job of arranging each piece to become memorable tunes. And Nancy Wilson herself - well, no one can sing like this. The voice is divine - aged, husky, provocative, what else can anyone say about Nancy? But what really stands out here is her phrasing - it is truly, truly remarkable. Buy this CD, and listen to "When October Goes" and see if it does not take your breath away. This is one of those albums that not only makes you happy to be alive, but happy that you have such damn good taste to appreciate a work as gorgeous as this. "
A music fan from Austin, Texas , December 7, 1998
Do
NOT let the Barry Manilow aspect of this album scare you .......this album
is a stunner from every angle.
I have seen Baby Jane Dexter live 4 times at Eighty Eights in New York, and I was transported to a new world every time. In the early days she was selling her CDs out of a duffel bag after the show! This is a big, wide voice, filled with nuance and warmth ....... a little raw at the top, which gives it immediacy with a lower register that rattles windows. If you've never experienced BJD, I suggest you play track #2, UNTIL THE RIGHT THING COMES ALONG, before you play anything else .......... a thrilling vocal journey, to say the least! The only down side of listening to this CD is that you don't get to see the joy and passion in her face as she sings.
Congratulations to Baby
Jane for again winning the 1999 MAC award for "Major Pop/R&B
Vocalist."
I had not heard of Hadda until a few years ago when this album was given to us by a friend. As it turns out she starred in movies next to Humphrey Bogart (In A Lonely Place) and Jack Nicholson (The Crossing Guard). Not only was she was the first African-American woman to host a TV show in the 1950s, she was also known as the Queen of Boogie . Modern Records (later home to B.B. King and Etta James, to name a few) was founded in 1945 as a way to showcase her musical talents (she also plays piano on all the tracks). Although this recording is from the late 40s, it has been re-mastered with obvious care. Hadda is now 80 years old and still recording. Although there is some boogie woogie here, this album spotlights her "supper club ballads" with their late-nite, sultry sexiness. This should be the last album you play every night.
I think that if everybody would listen to a little Randy every day, the world would be a better place. This is her newest album. The joy and sweetness in this playlist, will tame even the most savage of days. Pay special attention to "I'd Be an Angel," and "Johnny." Even her few bars of humming in " ......Angel" are worth the price of the CD.
People Magazine describes
her voice so much better than I can:
[Randy] Crawford's
great assets are her intimate singing style and vocal restraint--the way
she lightly tugs her vowels when she's caught up in the heart of
passion and unleashes gentle tremolos when she's suffering the agony of
heartache. And when she utters the lines "Got my mind in the clouds" ...she
may as well be whispering into your ear.
Still in such wonderful
voice after all these years, its a shame that this, her newest album, went
virtually unnoticed. She still has that exhilirating power that can make
your knees buckle, combined now with a richer, deeper sound and
absolutely beautiful
interpretation. If the title song doesn't make you cry.......well, I don't
know what to say ........maybe you're not playing it loud enough.........
Her version of
"Higher Ground" puts Babs to shame.
Note: She has put out a holiday album since this album was recorded, but this is her latest pop album (1995)
Along with Betty Buckley
and Bernadette Peters, Patti is one of Broadway's true divas. From
THE BAKER'S WIFE, through EVITA, ANYTHING GOES, and LES MIZ,
her warm powerful voice
never ceases to thrill. This is essentially the live concert that
she brought to Broadway a few seasons ago, though it was recorded earlier
on the west coast. It doesn't all work all the time, but the Broadway
section is stunning, with Patti singing all her signature songs with just
piano accompaniment.
The final song, Julie Gold's HEAVEN, is surely one of the sweetest songs ever written.
This is the single album, containing only the musical sections of the concert. The complete concert is also available on this 2 CD Box Set