Tuesday, June 06, 2017

NEW RELEASES: LABELLE – THE ANTHOLOGY; SPYDER TURNER - IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER; MONDAY MICHIRU - NAKED BREATH 2

LABELLE – THE ANTHOLOGY

A wonderfully-done look at the legendary soul trio Labelle – plus solo work as well! The collection doesn't feature the full range of Labelle's music – you might need a box set for that – but it does pick up the group when they really hit their stride on RCA in the early 70s – when the trio of Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash were serving up a completely righteous blend of funk and soul! Gone are the more fragile harmonies of their 60s work – and in their place is a confident, badass approach that really let the vocals of the three women soar in a wonderful way. The set features ten tracks from these years – a good number of which were produced by Allen Toussaint – plus 26 more from the solo albums by the group members from the same time. Labelle titles include "Nightbird", "Lady Marmalade", "Are You Lonely", "What Can I Do For You (single)", "Isn't It A Shame", "Who's Watching The Watcher", "Messin With My Mind (single)", and "Something In The Air/The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". Sarah Dash sings "Sinner Man", "Leaving Again", "Oo La La too Soon", "Candy From Your Baby", and "I Can't Believe". Nona Hendryx sings "Casanova", "King Of Hearts", "You're The Only One I Ever Needed", "B-Boys (single)", "To The Bone", "I Sweat (single)", "Keep It Confidential (single)", and "Transformation (single)". Patti Labelle sings "Music Is My Way Of Life", "Teach Me Tonight", "Joy To Have Your Love (single)", "Love & Learn", "My Best Was Good Enough", "Release", "It's Alright With Me (single)", "Little Girls (single)", and "I Don't Go Shopping". ~ Dusty Groove

SPYDER TURNER - IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER: THE WHITFIELD RECORDS YEARS 1978-1980

The overlooked second chapter of Spyder Turner's career – two albums back to back on a single CD! First up is the Music Web album – a fantastic revival in sound for Spyder Turner – a Detroit singer who cut some material for MGM earlier in his career, but never at a level that fully took advantage of his range! This time around, he's back in action in the late 70s, and working with producer Norman Whitfield – who creates this rich, soaring sound for some of Turner's tracks – allowing the singer to move his deep soul style into even more sophisticated territory. Other tunes are warm mellow numbers that show a maturing mode, too – and Gene Page handled the arrangements with a nice sort of Cali 70s vibe. Titles include "Stop", "I've Changed", "Get Down", "I've Been Waiting", "Reincarnation", and "Is It Love You're After". On Only Love, Spyder Turner is again working with producer Norman Whitfield – whose moved on from his Detroit roots to Cali – and works with the sort of soaring sound that he brought to his other late 70s albums on his own label – such as work by Undisputed Truth or Rose Royce! As with both of those groups, Whitfield allows the arrangements to get big, but never in a way that interferes with the quality of the vocals – an approach that really seems to help Turner find the direction he might have otherwise been lacking. Gene Page helps on arrangements – which furthers the sound of the set – and titles include "God Bless The Lady On The Radio", "Only Love", "Let's Rock", "You Can Always Count On Me", "You're So Fine", and "Sunshine". ~ Dusty Groove

MONDAY MICHIRU - NAKED BREATH 2

Beautiful work from Monday Michiru – an artist we've loved for over 20 years, and who just keeps on rewarding our faith in her work with records like this! Years back, Monday was a soul singer, then she grew into a very talented jazz singer too – and here, she's in a very special space of her own – beautifully set up with just the guitar of Yoshihisa Suzuki for accompaniment, plus a bit of her own work on flute – but mostly in a mode that just features her singing alongside the guitar! Monday's always had an expressive voice, but she really knocks it out of the park here – working so many different inflections, twists, and turns into her lyrics – so much so, we don't even miss the other instrumentation at all. Few folks could make an album this vivid with so little – but then again, Monday's always been a rare breed! Titles include the originals "One Thing's For Sure", "Seize The Day", "Brasilified", "Hidden Elements", "Disillusioned", and "Lone Wolf" – plus versions of "One Note Samba", and the Prince classic "Wanna Be Your Lover".  ~ Dusty Groove


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