A legendary
album – one that has Aretha Franklin returning to her roots in gospel music –
but working with all the strength and power that Atlantic Records had to offer!
From early years recording as a young voice alongside her father's
congregation, Aretha has matured into a hell of a lead singer – and really
knocks it out of the park here alongside the mighty James Cleveland, and the
Southern California Community Choir! While it might have been nice to record
the set back home in Detroit, the California setting for the material works
perfectly to elevate Franklin to a special place in the heavens – tying
together her heritage in beautiful ways, and making for another great stride
forward in her career during the 70s. One of the best ideas ever for a soul
music concept album – with titles that include "Mary Don't You Weep",
"How I Got Over", "Precious Memories", "Wholy
Holy", "Never Grow Old", "Amazing Grace", and Climbing
Higher Mountains". This package really expands past the original album –
and adds in all these other tracks recorded during the proceedings, which were
done over the course of two different nights in November of 1972 – with a
mighty set of long tracks that quadrupalizes the original double album! ~ Dusty
Groove
The Supremes
– Produced And Arranged By Jimmy Webb
An
overlooked moment of 70s genius from The Supremes – and from the great Jimmy
Webb as well – given that the pop studio genius wrote, arranged, and produced
the entire album! Jimmy had plenty of famous work under his belt by this point
in time – including his famous collaborations with 5th Dimension – but the
sound here is something completely different entirely, and very different than
Webb's own records, as he was starting to find a voice of his own. Instead, the
man is more than happy to let the vocals of the Supremes flow forth in this
really heavenly way – with Jean Terrell now in the group instead of Diana, but
never missing a beat in the lead – as she soars out in this sophisticated mix
of strings and soul that's completely sublime! The songs are very fresh
territory for the group, and the use of mostly Webb material on the record
makes for a very unified set – almost the Supremes' answer to Minnie Riperton's
fantastic first album with Charles Stepney, Come To My Garden. Titles include
"Once In The Morning", "Cheap Lovin", "When Can Brown
Begin", "Beyond Myself", "I Guess I'll Miss The Man",
"All I Want", "I Keep It Hid", and "5:30 Plane". ~
Dusty Groove
Brenda
Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts
Classic
heartbreaking soul from Brenda Holloway – one of the weepiest early records on
Motown, as you might guess from the title! The style here is almost more New
York uptown than Detroit at times – a fair bit like Maxine Brown with its mix
of strength and fragility on the vocals, and scored by the Davis/Gordon team
with a subtle sense of drama. Strings step in on most numbers, but never in a
sleepy way – and there's plenty of nicely stepping tunes here that maintain a
good sense of Motown rhythm, even in mellower moments. Titles include "Sad
Song", "I've Been Good To You", "Every Little Bit
Hurts", "Too Proud To Cry", "A Favor For A Girl",
"Suddenly", "You Can Depend On Me", and "Can I". ~
Dusty Groove
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