Vocalist Marley Munroe (aka Lady Blackbird) evokes the maverick style of singer Nina Simone on her potent 2021 debut Black Acid Soul. Produced by Chris Seefried, Black Acid Soul is Munroe's first full-length album following a handful of singles and several years of studio work and live performing. Much like Simone, Munroe is blessed with a throaty, highly resonant voice that's well-suited to carrying a jazz standard, but which also fits nicely on dusky R&B ballads. Working with guitarist Seefried and an intimate ensemble of collaborators, including pianist Deron Johnson, bassist Jon Flaugher, and drummer Jimmy Paxson, Munroe finds a spellbinding balance between acoustic jazz and live small group soul. She underlines the Simone connection from the start, opening with a burnished take of the legendary singer's classic "Blackbird," conjuring a menacing, earthy sensuality that perfectly sets the tone for what is to come. Part of what made Simone's classic work of the '60s and '70s so intriguing was her ability to take a song from any genre and make it her own. Munroe has the same gift and displays it throughout, diving into an organ-tinged take on Reuben Bell's 1967 track "It's Not That Easy" and transforming Bill Evans' languid 1958 composition "Peace Piece" into a dreamily intoxicating tone poem called "Fix It." She even reworks the James Gang's 1969 "Collage" into a far-eyed modal number that draws equally from John Coltrane and the psychedelic band Love. While Lady Blackbird's distinct influences and love of Simone certainly drives much of Black Acid Soul, there's an immediacy and warmth to the album that feels all her own. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1 Blackbird 4:01
Written-By – Nina Simone
2 It's Not That Easy 3:00
Written-By – Reuben Bell
3 Fix It 4:51
Music By [Derivative work of Peace Piece] – Bill Evans
Words By – Chris Seefried, Marley Munroe
4 Ruler Of My Heart 3:42
Written-By – Naomi Neville
5 Nobody's Sweetheart 3:38
Electric Guitar – Chris Seefried
Trumpet – Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews
Written-By – Chris Seefried
6 Collage 3:17
Written-By – Joe Walsh, Patrick Cullie
7 Five Feet Tall 3:20
Acoustic Guitar – Chris Seefried
Written-By – Chris Seefried, Marley Munroe
8 Lost And Looking 4:21
Written-By – James W. Alexander, Lowell Jordan
9 It'll Never Happen Again 3:38
Written-By – Tim Hardin
10 Beware The Stranger 4:13
Written-By – Eugene Dixon, James Thompson
11 Black Acid Soul 3:54
Written-By – Chris Seefried, Deron Johnson, Jimmy Paxson, Jon Flaugher, Marley Munroe
Credits :
A&R – Ross Allen
Baby Grand Piano [Steinway], Mellotron, Synth [Casio Synth] – Deron Johnson
Double Bass – Jon Flaugher
Drums, Percussion – Jimmy Paxson
Producer, Arranged By – Chris Seefried
Vocals [All Vocals] – Lady Blackbird
Saturday, September 21, 2024
LADY BLACKBIRD — Black Acid Soul (2021) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
MARIE QUEENIE LYONS — Soul Fever (1970-2008) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
Marie "Queenie" Lyons is the sort of artist soul collectors salivate over -- she paid her dues on the Southern chitlin' circuit, shared stages with the likes of King Curtis, Jackie Wilson, and James Brown, scored a record deal with the King Records subsidiary DeLuxe Records, and after a few singles cut an album, 1970's Soul Fever, that sank without a trace. As far as anyone can tell, Lyons never made another record after Soul Fever, making her obscure enough to please even the most finicky British R&B archivist, and as luck would have it Lyons was also a gifted singer whose sole LP is a fine piece of work. Lyons manages to show a very Southern variety of passion and fire along with a big city sense of showmanship and control, and her vocals reveal an impressive balance of sass and skill, knowing when to play it subtle and when to open up and wail. Lyons was well served in the studio on these sessions; the production and arrangements are solidly soulful but imaginative, with just the right amount of sweetening from string and horn arrangements that don't undercut the steady groove of the rhythm section. And while Lyons didn't write her own material, she and her handlers knew how to pick songs that fit her talents, and from the lean funk of "See and Don't See" to the gospel-influenced Black Power anthem "I Want My Freedom" and the polished heartache of "We'll Cry Together," every song on this set fits her like a glove. Soul Fever is a better than average soul obscurity that will please fans of the golden age of R&B, but while this is a good album, it's not a great one, and more casual observers may want to give it a listen before they invest. Mark Deming
Tracklist :
1 See And Don't See 3:20
Written-By – Rose Marie McCoy
2 Daddy's House 3:14
Written-By – Hal Miller, Rose Marie McCoy
3 You Used Me 3:38
Written-By – Don Pullen
4 Your Thing Ain't Good Without My Thing 2:27
Written-By – Don Pullen
5 Snake In The Grass 2:42
Written-By – Don Pullen
6 Your Key Don't Fit It Anymore 2:38
Written-By – Alecia Evelyn, Henry Glover
7 Fever 5:25
Written-By – Cooley, Davenport
8 I Don't Want Nobody To Have It But You 3:02
Written-By – Don Pullen
9 We'll Cry Together 3:15
Written-By – Helen Miller, Rose Marie McCoy
10 I'll Drown In My Own Tears 3:50
Written-By – H. Glover
11 I Want My Freedom 4:35
Written-By – Don Pullen
12 Try Me 2:38
Written-By – James Brown
BETTYE CRUTCHER — Long As You Love Me (1974-2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Tracklist :
1 Long As You Love Me 2:53
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
2 When We're Together 3:39
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher
3 Passion 4:17
Written-By – Arris Wheaton, Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
4 A Little Bit More Won't Hurt 4:07
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
5 Sunday Morning's Gonna Find Us In Love 4:54
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
6 Sugar Daddy 3:48
Written-By – Arris Wheaton, Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
7 Call Me When All Else Fails 5:05
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher, David Porter, Ronnie Williams
8 Up For A Let Down 2:52
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
9 So Lonely Without You 2:50
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher, Mack Rice
10 Sleepy People 4:25
Written-By – Bettye Crutcher
Previously Unissued Bonus Tracks (2013)
11 So Glad To Have You 3:32
12 Don't You Think It's About Time? 3:25
13 Make A Joyful Noise 5:03
14 We've Got Love On Our Side 3:31
15 Walk On To Your New Love (Demo) 3:36
16 I Forgive You (Demo) 2:22
Credits :
Arranged By – Johnny Allen
Backing Band [Rhythm By] – Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section
Orchestra [Horns & Strings] – The Memphis Symphony Orchestra
ADELE — 30 (2021) Japan Bonus Track | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
Since 2008, Adele has allowed listeners to peek into her world, carrying them through the major stages of her life as a shoulder to cry on and a relatable presence. With her fourth set, 30, she grants more access than ever before, detailing one of her most painful seasons with poise and grace. Charting the aftermath of her 2019 divorce, 30 is not a fiery breakup album. Rather, focusing on acceptance, growth, and owning her mistakes, she's created a time capsule for her son, Angelo, to understand what his mother was going through at this pivotal time. After the curtains part on the dramatic, Judy Garland-inspired overture "Strangers by Nature," she addresses the split with "Easy on Me," redirecting her focus as a plea for patience and understanding from her son. "My Little Love" interpolates their intimate conversations atop smoky R&B production that echoes early-2000s Alicia Keys. When she confesses, "Mummy's been having a lot of big feelings lately," it's a prelude to the heartbreak that closes the song, where a crying Adele admits she's lonely and scared. Hearing the superstar in such an unguarded human state might be jarring, but it's oddly reassuring to witness these levels of vulnerability and candor: Adele feels the same pain and she's fumbling along the way to happiness just like the rest of us.
As 30 unfolds, she takes tentative steps back onto the market, having the wrong kind of "fun" on the standout "Oh My God," a hit in the making that rides an infectious beat peppered with handclaps and whistles. Wading deeper into the dating pool with the stomping Max Martin and Shellback-penned "Can I Get It," she searches for a real love connection, which leads to "All Night Parking," a lovelorn gem about budding romance. Those fresh thrills don't last long, as the delicious kiss-off "Woman Like Me" knocks the unnamed Romeo down a few pegs for being too lazy, whiny, and complacent for a powerhouse like Ms. Adkins. Later, on the triumphant "Hold On," a choir of friends empowers a faltering Adele, reminding her that, "You are still strong/Love will soon come." Tough realizations and soul-searching land on the Elton John-influenced piano ballad "I Drink Wine" and the showstopping "To Be Loved," a shiver-inducing showcase of vocal acrobatics that stands tall alongside the best performances by Whitney, Mariah, and Celine. As the credits roll on "Love Is a Game," lush strings and a pensive organ usher in a nostalgic Motown girl group timelessness, where Adele admits, "Love is a game for fools to play," picking up the pieces and taking responsibility for her actions. Meeting titanic expectations, this linear journey of the heart is Adele's most cohesive statement to date, pairing her inimitable voice with a dozen engrossing vignettes, reminding us that all we can do is keep trying. Neil Z. Yeung
Tracklist :
1 Strangers by Nature 3:02
Adele Adkins / Ludwig Göransson
2 Easy on Me 3:44
Adele Adkins / Greg Kurstin
3 My Little Love 6:29
Adele Adkins / Greg Kurstin
4 Cry Your Heart Out 4:15
Adele Adkins / Greg Kurstin
5 Oh My God 3:45
Adele Adkins / Greg Kurstin
6 Can I Get It 3:30
Adele Adkins / Max Martin / Karl Schuster / Shellback
7 I Drink Wine 6:16
Adele Adkins / Greg Kurstin
8 All Night Parking (Interlude) 2:41
Adele Adkins / Erroll Garner
9 Woman Like Me 5:00
Adele Adkins / Dean Josiah Cover
10 Hold On 6:06
Adele Adkins / Dean Josiah Cover
11 To Be Loved 6:43
Adele Adkins / Tobias Jesso, Jr.
12 Love Is a Game 6:43
Adele Adkins / Dean Josiah Cover
Japan Bonus Tracks
13 Wild Wild West
14 Can't Be Together
15 Easy On Me
Featuring – Chris Stapleton
AMY WINEHOUSE — Back To Black (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
The story of Back to Black is one in which celebrity and the potential of commercial success threaten to ruin Amy Winehouse, since the same insouciance and playfulness that made her sound so special when she debuted could easily have been whitewashed right out of existence for this breakout record. (That fact may help to explain why fans were so scared by press allegations that Winehouse had deliberately lost weight in order to present a slimmer appearance.) Although Back to Black does see her deserting jazz and wholly embracing contemporary R&B, all the best parts of her musical character emerge intact, and actually, are all the better for the transformation from jazz vocalist to soul siren. With producer Salaam Remi returning from Frank, plus the welcome addition of Mark Ronson (fresh off successes producing for Christina Aguilera and Robbie Williams), Back to Black has a similar sound to Frank but much more flair and spark to it. Winehouse was inspired by girl group soul of the '60s, and fortunately Ronson and Remi are two of the most facile and organic R&B producers active. (They certainly know how to evoke the era too; Remi's "Tears Dry on Their Own" is a sparkling homage to the Motown chestnut "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and Ronson summons a host of Brill Building touchstones on his tracks.) As before, Winehouse writes all of the songs from her experiences, most of which involve the occasionally riotous and often bittersweet vagaries of love. Also in similar fashion to Frank, her eye for details and her way of relating them are delightful. She states her case against "Rehab" on the knockout first single with some great lines: "They tried to make me go to rehab I won't go go go, I'd rather be at home with Ray" (Charles, that is). As often as not, though, the songs on Back to Black are universal, songs that anyone, even Joss Stone, could take to the top of the charts, such as "Love Is a Losing Game" or the title song ("We only said good bye with words, I died a hundred times/You go back to her, and I go back to black"). John Bush
Tracklist :
1 Rehab 3:34
Alto Saxophone – Andy Mackintosh, Chris Davies
Arranged By [Band] – Gabriel Roth, Mark Ronson
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – Chris Elliott
Baritone Saxophone – Dave Bishop, Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Bass Guitar – Nick Movshon
Cello – Anthony Pleeth, Joely Koos, John Heley
Contractor [Orchestra] – Isobel Griffiths
Drums – Homer Steinweiss
Engineer [Assistant] – Jesse Gladstone, Mike Makowski
Guitar – Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck
Handclaps – Mark Ronson, Vaughan Merrick
Harp – Helen Tunstall
Leader [Orchestra] – Perry Montague-Mason
Percussion – Frank Ricotti
Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Handclaps – Victor Axelrod
Recorded By – Mark Ronson, Vaughan Merrick
Tenor Saxophone – Jamie Talbot, Mike Smith, Neal Sugarman
Tenor Trombone – Richard Edwards
Trumpet – Dave Guy, Steve Sidwell
Viola – Bruce White, Jon Thorne, Katie Wilkinson, Rachel Bolt
Violin – Boguslaw Kostecki, Chris Tombling, Liz Edwards*, Everton Nelson, Jonathan Rees, Mark Berrow, Perry Montague-Mason, Peter Hanson, Tom Piggot-Smith, Warren Zielinski
2 You Know I'm No Good 4:17
Arranged By [Band] – Gabriel Roth, Mark Ronson
Baritone Saxophone – Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Bass Guitar – Nick Movshon
Drums – Homer Steinweiss
Engineer [Assistant] – Jesse Gladstone, Mike Makowski
Guitar – Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck
Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Handclaps – Victor Axelrod
Recorded By – Mark Ronson, Vaughan Merrick
Tenor Saxophone – Neal Sugarman
Trumpet – Dave Guy
3 Me And Mr Jones 2:33
Bass Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bruce Purse
Double Bass [Upright Bass], Drums, Piano – Salaam Remi
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Amy Winehouse
Guitar, Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Vincent Henry
4 Just Friends 3:13
Bass – Salaam Remi
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Guitar – Vincent Henry
Drums – Troy Auxilly-Wilson
Guitar – Amy Winehouse
Organ, Electric Piano [Rhodes] – John Adams
Trumpet, Bass Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bruce Purse
5 Back To Black 4:01
Alto Saxophone – Andy Mackintosh, Chris Davies*
Arranged By [Band] – Gabriel Roth
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – Chris Elliott
Baritone Saxophone – Dave Bishop
Bass Guitar – Nick Movshon
Cello – Anthony Pleeth, Joely Koos, John Heley
Contractor – Isobel Griffiths
Drums – Homer Steinweiss
Engineer [Assistant] – Jesse Gladstone, Mike Makowski
Guitar – Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck
Leader [Orchestra] – Perry Montague-Mason
Percussion – Frank Ricotti
Piano – Victor Axelrod
Recorded By – Mark Ronson, Vaughan Merrick
Tenor Saxophone – Jamie Talbot
Viola – Bruce White, Jon Thorne, Katie Wilkinson, Rachel Bolt
Violin – Boguslaw Kostecki, Chris Tombling, Liz Edwards*, Everton Nelson, Jonathan Rees, Mark Berrow, Perry Montague-Mason, Peter Hanson, Tom Piggot-Smith*, Warren Zielinski
Written-By – Amy Winehouse
Written-By, Arranged By [Band], Tambourine – Mark Ronson
6 Love Is A Losing Game 2:35
Alto Saxophone – Andy Mackintosh, Chris Davies
Arranged By [Band] – Gabriel Roth, Mark Ronson
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – Chris Elliott
Baritone Saxophone – Dave Bishop
Bass Guitar – Nick Movshon
Cello – Anthony Pleeth, Joely Koos, John Heley
Contractor [Orchestra] – Isobel Griffiths
Drums – Homer Steinweiss
Engineer [Assistant] – Jesse Gladstone, Mike Makowski
Guitar – Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck
Harp – Helen Tunstall
Leader [Orchestra] – Perry Montague-Mason
Percussion – Frank Ricotti
Piano – Victor Axelrod
Recorded By – Mark Ronson, Vaughan Merrick
Tenor Saxophone – Jamie Talbot, Mike Smith
Tenor Trombone – Richard Edwards
Trumpet – Steve Sidwell
Viola – Bruce White, Jon Thorne, Katie Wilkinson, Rachel Bolt
Violin – Boguslaw Kostecki, Chris Tombling, Liz Edwards*, Everton Nelson, Jonathan Rees, Mark Berrow, Perry Montague-Mason, Peter Hanson, Tom Piggot-Smith*, Warren Zielinski
7 Tears Dry On Their Own 3:06
Backing Vocals – Amy Winehouse
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Piano, Celesta, Guitar – Vincent Henry
Bass, Piano, Guitar – Salaam Remi
Drums, Tambourine – Troy Auxilly-Wilson
Performer [Uncredited, Sample Interpolation] – Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
Trumpet, Bass Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bruce Purse
Written-By – Amy Winehouse, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson
Written-By [Sample Interpolation] – Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson
8 Wake Up Alone 3:42
Arranged By [Band] – Gabriel Roth
Arranged By [Band], Recorded By – Mark Ronson
Bass Guitar – Nick Movshon
Drums – Homer Steinweiss
Engineer [Assistant] – Jesse Gladstone, Mike Makowski
Guitar – Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck
Piano – Victor Axelrod
Recorded By – Vaughan Merrick
Written-By – Paul O'Duffy
9 Some Unholy War 2:22
Bass, Drums, Guitar – Salaam Remi
Guitar – Vincent Henry
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Amy Winehouse
Organ – John Adams
10 He Can Only Hold Her 2:46
Backing Vocals – Ade*, Zalon*
Baritone Saxophone – Cochemea Gastelum
Bass Guitar – Nick Movshon
Drums – Homer Steinweiss
Finger Snaps – Mark Ronson
Guitar – Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck
Percussion – Sam Koppelman
Performer [Uncredited, Sample interpolation] – The Icemen
Piano – Victor Axelrod
Producer [Original Demo] – P*Nut
Recorded By – Derek Pacuk, Dom Morley, Gabriel Roth, Matt Paul, Vaughan Merrick
Tenor Saxophone – Neal Sugarman
Trumpet – Dave Guy
Written-By – Amy Winehouse, Richard Poindexter, Robert Poindexter
Written-By [Sample Interpolation] – Richard Poindexter, Robert Poindexter