MARLENA SHAW - ANTHOLOGY

Marlena Shaw has been one of the most prolific soul and jazz female vocalists with a recording career spanning 35 years. Equally comfortable singing soul, jazz or cocktail lounge styles, her versatility and rich and sweet tones have graced albums recorded for Cadet in the 60's, Blue Note and Columbia in the 70's and independent labels, Polydor and Verve in the late 80's and most recently Concord Jazz.

On this anthology we have picked the cream of the tracks across her career for the first time on one album. We start this anthology in 1968, the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the States with the epic "Woman Of The Ghetto". An all time classic with poignant lyrics powerfully sung by Marlena. 'My children learn just the same as yours, as long as no one tries to close the door. We must all have identity - self respect is our separate task'. The song is backed by driving bass and Maurice White introducing the Kalimba sound with which he achieved great fame with Earth, Wind and Fire in the 70's. The track has long been in demand by both soul and jazz fans, but in the mid nineties the song with it's chorus scat was sampled by Blueboy on the club and chart hit "Remember Me", introducing it to a younger audience.

"California Soul" written by the then Motown stable writers Ashford & Simpson is a glorious late 60's soul song with Charles Stepney's string arrangement reminiscent of his more famous Rotary Connection sides also recorded for Cadet. Both these tracks are taken from Marlena's second Cadet album 'Spice of Life', which also featured the infectious but far too short "Liberation Conversation", a real powerhouse track featuring her distinctive scat vocals.

Marlena almost had a top 30 US R&B hit I 1967 with her second single, a cover of Cannonball Adderley's instrumental hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". Her previous single, a cover of Ramsey Lewis' famous "Wade In The Water" which she co-wrote, failed to hit at the time but has rightly become a long time favourite of 60's soul collectors and Northern Soul dancers.

Marlena left Cadet after "Spice of Life" and toured with the Count Basie band for nearly five years, until 1972 when she became the first female singer to be signed to Blue Note.

Marlena stayed with Blue Note for five years recording five albums. Featured from that period here are the subtly funky and slinky "Lovin' You Was Like a Party", the wonderful mid tempo "The Feelings Good", the melancholy Carol King song "So Far Away" and her great version of Eugene McDaniels' "Feel Like Making Love" which really cooks.

On her last album for Blue Note It's Just A Matter Of Time, Marlena followed the trend and veered in the direction of Disco, which led to her being signed to Columbia in 1977. On Her first album for Columbia Sweet Beginnings, Marlena re-cut the Carole King/Goffin standard "Go Away Little Boy", which she had originally recorded on her 'Spice of Life' album in the 60's. This time inspired by her personal experiences and live performance ad libs, she included a straight talking introduction to the song 'Yu Ma' (her way of saying You Mutha) and made the definitive version of the song : her own classic. The track has been popular throughout the world ever since, and especially women who can relate to the lyrics. It also became the biggest hit of her long career reaching #21 in the US R&B chart.

The album also included the more jazzy "Look At Me Look At You", a delightfully breezy mid tempo number which has also been very popular for many years. Sweet Beginnings became Marlena's biggest selling album, reaching #62 in the billboard chart.

Her next album Acting Up, also produced by Bert De Coteaux in 1978, included three excellent 'two step' songs: "Rhythm of Love", "You Bring Out The Best in Me", and possibly the first recording of "Back For More". The latter was originally written by Kenny Stover for Leo's Sunship, but it is best known for Al Johnson's version featuring Jean Carn, recorded years later. 'Acting Up' also included the theme from the hit movie 'Looking For Mr Goobar' - "Don't Ask me To Stay Until Tomorrow", but the album failed to match the success of 'Sweet Beginnings'.

After an aborted album with producer Jack Gold and arranger Gene Page that was never released, she recorded her last album for Columbia Take A Bite in 1979, a mixture of disco and cocktail lounge songs, which included her disco version of "Touch Me In The Morning", a club hit at the time. It was four years later after leaving Columbia before Marlena recorded another album Let Me In Your Life for California indie South Bay Records. We include from that album the magnificent mid tempo two step "Without You In My Life" which was Gary Taylor's first recorded song.

In the same year (1983) she sang on guitarist Phil Upchurch's Name of The Game album for Jam Today, which features the uplifting, more up tempo "Could It Be You", which completes our anthology of this great and under-rated artist. Marlena still regularly performs, as she has since her debut at the Apollo Theatre NY at the age of 10, and tours Europe and Japan, enticing her audiences with many of the classic songs featured on this anthology.

Woman Of The Ghetto

California Soul

Mercy Mercy Mercy

Wade In The Water

Liberation Conversation

Loving You Was Like A Party

The Feeling's Good

So Far Away

Feel Like Making Love

Yu Ma/Go Away Little Boy

Rhythm Of Love

Without You In My Life

Look At Me, Look At You (We're Flying)
Back For More

You Bring Out The Best In Me

Could It Be You (w/Phil Upchurch)

Laurence Prangell April 2000