Monday, October 27, 2014

NEW RELEASES: MARTHA REEVES - THE REST OF MY LIFE; DEE ALEXANDER - SONGS MY MOTHER LOVES; ANN PEEBLES - PART TIME LOVE

MARTHA REEVES – THE REST OF MY LIFE

Martha's lost the Vandellas for this one, but that's fine with us – as she's stepping out as a hip soul diva, laying down a mixture of mellow and upbeat tunes, in a style that's somewhere between Marlena Shaw and Gladys Knight. Production (and we assume arrangements) are by Tony Silvester, Bert De Coteaux, General Johnson, and Tony Camillo – and tracks include "Thank You", "Love Blind", "This Time I'll Be Sweeter", "Second Chance", and "Now That We Found Love".  ~ Dusty Groove



DEE ALEXANDER – SONGS MY MOTHER LOVES

An instant classic from Chicago vocalist Dee Alexander – one of the greatest jazz singers working today – and an artist we'd easily rank right up there with old school talents like Shirley Horn or Lorez Alexandria! Dee can sometimes be far-reaching in her style, but here she steps back to an older generation of jazz – reworking numbers in a hip sort of 60s way, especially the more sophisticated end of the soul jazz spectrum, ala Horn and Alexandria's albums for ABC/Impulse. Backing is by a wonderfully fluid small group – with the piano of Miguel Delacerna, bass of Harrison Bankhead, and drums of Ernie Adams – plus guest work from Ari Brown on tenor, Oliver Lake on alto, and Corey Wilkes on trumpet. The album's a dedication to Alexander's mother – and the strong guidance she gave her growing up on the west side of Chicago – and tunes include "Soul Serenade", "As Long As You're Living", "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Nature Boy", "Lonesome Lover", "Letter From Home",a nd "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise".  ~ Dusty Groove

ANN PEEBLES – PART TIME LOVE


A great litle early album from Ann Peebles – rawer than most of her more familiar stuff, with a gutbuckety soul quality that really keeps things fresh! Willie Mitchell produced and arranged (of course!), and the record's got some sweet backing vocals by Rhodes, Chalmers, & Rhodes – very much in a Sweet Inspirations mode. Tracks include a funky remake of The Isleys' "It's Your Thing", plus "Solid Foundation", "Crazy About You Baby", "Give Me Some Credit", and "Generation Gap Between Us".  ~ Dusty Groove


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