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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