Archive - January, 2008
Monday, January 21st, 2008
During its ‘60s and ‘70s golden years, the Stax empire had more than its fair share of singin’ soul sisters: Carla Thomas, Mable John, Ruby Johnson, Judy Clay, Margie Joseph, Kim Weston, Veda Brown, Jean Knight…and Shirley Brown. The West Arkansas-born native, who was first discovered by late blues star Albert King, shot to national prominence in 1974 with her unforgettable classic “Woman To Woman,” a slice-of-life piece that ensured her a permanent place in the world of R&B. Songs that have a universal theme always resonate and Shirley’s famed anthem quickly became a rallying cry for women who had experienced the trials and tribulations of a strayin’ man. With its potent, for-real opening rap hit the mark: Shirley told how it was she who paid the car note, put food on the table and even though her man was tippin’ out with some other woman named Barbara (whose name she had found on a slip of paper in her old man’s pants), Shirley was gonna stick by him. These days, the character Shirley Brown was portraying might be considered a little old fashioned and kinda foolish: back then, Shirley was giving voice to the many women who stood by their men, right or wrong.
“Woman To Woman” was a massive hit and the album that followed (available now on CD) was a fine showcase for the gospel-trained singer, often compared to ‘The Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin because of similarities in phrasing and tone. Putting aside such comparisons – or even allowing for them since any vocal resemblance between Shirley and Aretha ain’t a bad thing – Ms. Brown delivered an album that was a really fine showcase for her skills. Beyond the hit single, her interpretation of Lorraine Ellison’s 1966 deeply intense “Stay With Me” (no easy song to sing – ask Bette Midler, who for whatever strange reason tried it in her movie “The Rose”!) is fine; of equal quality, original cuts like “I’ve Got To Go On Without You” and the moving ballad “I Need You Tonight.” The Frederick Knight-penned “It Ain’t No Fun” is superb as is “Passion,” a sensual piece co-penned by Stax songwriter Bettye Crutcher; “So Glad To Have You” has a nice funky groove, hardly surprising given that the album was co-produced by Al Jackson, Jr., the famed drummer who was an integral part of the Stax sound as a member of The MGs and thus the Memphis company’s house band. Co-produced by Stax co-founder Jim Stewart, the album – which featured MG Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on bass, Marvell Thomas (son of Rufus and brother of Carla) on piano and Lester Snell on organ – ends with a deliciously bluesy opus, “Between You And Me,” the cut itself concluding with a sexy ‘umph,’ an appropriate testament to Shirley Brown’s tell-it-like-it-is realness.
Shirley Brown released one more album with Stax in 1979, another goodie not currently on CD entitled “For The Real Feeling” after making an excellent record for – of all places – Arista Records (entitled “Blessed Is The Woman” and now on CD in the UK). Subsequently, she began recording for Malaco Records and that association has continued for some twenty years, the Brown catalog consisting of a good half-a-dozen albums that demonstrate that Shirley was no ‘flash-in-the-pan,’ one hit wonder. While “Woman To Woman” will always be instantly recognizable as her biggest record – and one that current Stax artist Angie Stone recalls singing in the mirror as a young girl – Shirley Brown remains a super soulstress, a tell-it soul queen of the first order as is evident on the “Woman To Woman” CD. Check it.
David Nathan
Aka the British Ambassador Of Soul
Owner, www.soulmusic.com, www.soulmusicstore.com, www.soulmusicglobal.com
Posted in Music | No Comments »
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
The recent reissue of half-a-dozen Atlantic albums by superb Southern soul sister Margie Joseph was an immediate reminder to me that the Mississippi-born vocalist made two wonderful records for the Stax imprint, Volt Records. Fortunately, both are still available on a two-on-one release (“Margie Joseph Makes A New Impression” and “Phase II”); fortunate indeed for real soul music lovers, some of whom recall the authentic and honest ‘woman-to-woman’ rap that a then-21-ear old Margie created as a prelude to a searing version of The Supremes’ “Stop! In The Name Of Love,” the opening cut on her 1971 Volt debut set. I remember hearing it when it was first issued and thinking writers Holland, Dozier & Holland probably never imagined that their catchy ditty might be transformed into a brilliant eight-minute Isaac Hayes-styled opus by Margie and producers Fred Briggs and Darryl Carter. In a 1971 interview with John Abbey of Britain’s “Blues & Soul” magazine, Margie recalled that the idea for the memorable monologue on “Stop!” came from producer Briggs: “…I was in my hotel room trying to think up what I should say… I thought back to my school days and imagined some sort of a teenage love affair that could relate to someone having to ‘stop in the name of love.’ That’s about it…at school, I was always the sort of counselor for the other girls… They would tell me their troubles in the dormitory – a sort of guidance bureau for teenagers!”
“Stop! In The Name Of Love” with Margie’s spoken intro is worth the price of the entire CD but there is much more on the nineteen cuts that comprise this hidden gem in the Stax catalog: recorded in Memphis and Muscle Shoals with rich and full orchestrations (reminiscent of the work emerging Stax hitmaker Hayes was employing on his own work), highlights abound – including the British Northern soul-flavored “Medicine Bend,” the funky “Sweeter Tomorrow” (with some great lyrics – “Your car has been repossessed by the finance company!”), Margie’s own “Same Thing” (written years before Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be” but vaguely reminiscent of that massive 1975 hit) and the melancholy “Make Me Believe You’ll Stay” (which Margie re-cut on her 1973 Atlantic debut LP), a cut that features the two female members of The Soul Children (Anita Louis and Shelbra Bennett) and R&B singer Tommy Tate on background vocals.
Margie’s sophomore Volt set, “Phase II” (released later in 1971) kicked off with “The Other Woman Got My Man And Gone,” another slice-of-life piece dealing with the age-old issue of infidelity and roamin’ husbands; attempting to re-create the soul-to-the-bone remake of “Stop In The Name Of Love,” producer Briggs opted for another Supremes’ classic in the form of “My World Is Empty Without You” although the result is less impactful. A true highlight is Briggs’ “Strung Out,” with Margie’s emotive vocals exemplifying her skill as a soulstress of the first order; while the funky-butt “Didn’t Have To Tell Me” (which came from the pen of New Orleans writer Rosalind Nocentelli, no doubt related to Leo, one of the founding members of the famed Meters) shows Margie could groove with the best of ‘em!
Alas, her Stax/Volt stint (which had started in 1969, two years after her first recordings for the Okeh label, with a session with the late New Orleans producer/songwriter Willie Tee) didn’t last beyond 1971: in 1972, then-husband/manager and former Crescent City radio man Larry McKinley set up a new deal for Margie at Atlantic where she made some more great records, mostly with the late and brilliant producer/arranger Arif Mardin.
Personally, I first met Margie around 1974 during her first visit to London; I well remember some great interview sessions with her during subsequent years and just a few months ago, the always-genial lady (currently based just outside Atlanta) who made her own gospel LP a few years back) and I reconnected after a long time. Listening to “Makes A New Impression/Phase II,” I marvel once more at her soulful brilliance and hope that she’ll get another shot at recording again for she truly deserves to be heard. Until that day dawns, do yourself a favor and check out this stellar Stax standout!
David Nathan
Aka the British Ambassador Of Soul
Owner, www.soulmusic.com, www.soulmusicstore.com, www.soulmusicglobal.com
Posted in Music | No Comments »
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
“Grinder Man” may have been the only single that Stax released from this leased collection of Hooker tapes, but it’s not the only song that makes That’s Where It’s At! worth seeking out for John Lee Hooker fans.
For one thing, its liner notes aren’t quite right. Hooker is the only credited musician (guitar and vocals) but on “Feel So Bad” a second male voice of a younger-sounding man named “Steve” can be easily distinguished from his. For another, it includes his rampage through his original and now classic “Please Don’t Go,” which really sounds like a plea painfully scraped from his raw and bleeding heart, a primer on primal blues.
But best of all, you can listen to Hooker himself explain his blues modus operandi on That’s Where It’s At! Its first song, “Teachin’ the Blues,” sounds like you’re overhearing him instruct a lesson in playing John Lee Hooker-style blues. It is an amazing insight into what he thought of his own music:
“Here are the chords here I wanna show ya. A whole lot of people ask me where I originated my beat from. I had it from way back, a long time ago…I was born with this here… Let me show you something on there about this chord here. Hold your hand right there, and then work your thumb kind of beat-like. There’s not a whole lot of chords to remember, just a big beat. Now I sound just like a whole band… “
“…It’s just the beat. These fancy chords don’t mean nothing if you ain’t got that beat. Throw the fancy chords away, and just get this slow beat….”
Posted in Music | No Comments »
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
John Lee Hooker recorded and performed - hell, he LIVED - his unique blend of country and electric talkin’ blues for more than half a century. He recorded prolifically if somewhat haphazardly for literally dozens of blues and R&B labels. So it’s not surprising to learn that “The Hook” made his mark on Stax Records too.
In the late 1960s, Hooker recorded several sides in or around Miami for record distributor Harry Stone, who was responsible for distributing Stax in the southeast US. Stone subsequently leased several of these recordings to Stax. So even though Hooker never actually recorded for Stax in their Memphis studio, down in Muscle Shoals, in New York or Detroit or anyplace else, Stax was able to release the full-length John Lee Hooker album That’s Where It’s At! and from it the single “Grinder Man” in late ‘69.
“Grinder Man” failed to make the R&B or Pop singles charts, which is little surprise because it offered little of the first and absolutely none of the second. But it’s still a great example of the untamed primal power of John Lee Hooker. “Grinder Man” is for real old school (Do people still know what a grinder man is or what he does?) blues: One worn, solitary lonesome man with his guitar, his stomping foot to keep time and his raw throat groaning and spitting up blues from the depths of his soul. A Hooker blues like this is the musical equivalent of someone emphasizing something by repeatedly and forcefully driving their finger into your chest.
Posted in Music | No Comments »
|
