CARMEN McRAE - Just a Little Lovin' (1970-2013) RM | Jazz Best Collection 1000 - 7 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Released in 1970, Just a Little Lovin' was the fourth (and last) studio album Carmen McRae cut for Atlantic Records in the late '60s/early '70s. The albums were for the most part a mix of pop and jazz songs with a decidedly pop angle. Just a Little Lovin' isn't too different, though it leans more toward the soulful end of the street. Producer Arif Mardin put McRae together with the Dixie Flyers studio band, backup singers extraordinaire the Sweet Inspirations, and an all-star horn section led by King Curtis, and then let her loose on the usual Beatles covers (a lifeless "Something," a very relaxed and sensual "Here, There and Everywhere," and a dramatic take on "Carry That Weight") and pop tunes like Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We" and Laura Nyro's "Goodbye Joe." So far, so half decent. Where the album really takes off is on the tracks that sound more down-home and Southern, like those cribbed from Dusty in Memphis ("Just a Little Lovin'," "Breakfast in Bed"), the Willie Dixon blues "I Love the Life I Live," and the tracks written by Tony Joe White (the funky-as-dirt "I Thought I Knew You Well" and "I Want You"). The band sounds totally in the groove on these cuts and McRae responds with some supremely gritty performances. As with all her other Atlantic records, it's a mixed bag but well worth picking up for Carmen McRae fans -- and if you aren't one, you should be! Tim Sendra  
Tracklist :
1     Just a Little Lovin' 2'12
Barry Mann / Cynthia Weil
2     Something 3'07
George Harrison
3     I Thought I Knew You Well 3'56
Tony Joe White
4     I Want You 2'22
Tony Joe White
5     More Today Than Yesterday 3'06
Pat Upton
6     Here, There and Everywhere 2'36
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
7     Carry That Weight 2'48
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
8     Breakfast in Bed 3'18
Donnie Fritts / Eddie Hinton
9     I Love the Life I Live 2'30
Willie Dixon
10     What'cha Gonna Do 3'35
Donnie Fritts
11     Didn't We 3'20
Jimmy Webb
12     Goodbye Joe 2'36
Laura Nyro
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – George Dorsey
Arranged By – Arif Mardin
Backing Band – The Dixie Flyers
Backing Vocals – The Sweet Inspirations
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Bass – Tommy McClure
Drums, Percussion – Sammy Creason
French Horn, Conductor [String Section] – Gene Orloff
Guitar – Alexander Gafa (pistas: B5)
Guitar, Keyboards – Jim Dickinson
Lead Guitar – Charlie Freeman
Organ, Electric Piano – Michael Utley
Other [Carmen McRae's Coiffure] – Bruce Vanderhoff
Tenor Saxophone [Solos], Alto Saxophone [Solos] – King Curtis
Trombone – Garnet Brown
Trumpet – Joe Newman
Woodwind – George Marge, Romeo Penque, Walter Kane