- Audio CD (10 May 2005)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Import
- Label: Soul Bros Pure Jazz
- ASIN: B0009G3BS8
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,247,674 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a great CD spanning Marlena Shaw's 35 year career. Highlights of the album include "Woman of the Ghetto" (as sampled by Blueboy for "Remember Me") and "Lovin' you was like a party". The best track for me though is "California Soul". It's guaranteed to lift your spirits whenever and wherever you hear it - you won't believe it 'til you hear it. With its fantastic string orchestration you won't hear a live version like it now, though I'd love to be proved wrong.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Soul Brother team in east Putney, London, have soul and funk running through their collective veins in abundance, and with this collection they turn their attention, as Laurence Prangell writes in the liner notes, to "one of the most prolific soul and jazz female vocalists with a recording career spanning 35 years".
Originally released in 2000 this compilation serves to gather together a collection of Shaw's work from across her extensive discography, beginning with her work on Cadet Records and extending through her time with Blue Note, Columbia, South Bay, Poyldor and Concord Records (thereby covering 1967 to 1983).
As a collection this works exceedingly well, managing to offer a well balanced collection which manages to allow the qualities of Shaw's voice to shine through. It opens with the Ashford and Simpson penned 'Woman of the Ghetto', which features Shaw's distinctive scatting style that would be sampled by Blueboy for their 90's hit 'Remember Me'. Other highlights include 'California Soul', recently used by a well known Southern Fried Chicken retailer in the UK, which fares well in a direct comparison with the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell version, and 'Yu-Ma / Go Away Little Boy' (here featured in her second recording of the song taken from her 1977 album 'Sweet Beginnings'). This beautiful song opens with a gentle vocal vamp before moving into a wonderfully controlled examination of the narrator's relationship with her current beau. Bittersweet but without the venomous bite of Mille Jackson, it remains her biggest hit, reaching No 21 in the US R&B chart.
If you don't own a Marlena Shaw record this offers an excellent and extremely well considered collection of her work, which might (hopefully) inspire you, dear reader, to consider buying her single issue albums; some of which are currently available for a very reasonable price.
Once again Soul Bother Records and the Prangell brothers have provided an excellent service to soul music, issuing another inspired compilation.
Highly recommended without hesitation.
Originally released in 2000 this compilation serves to gather together a collection of Shaw's work from across her extensive discography, beginning with her work on Cadet Records and extending through her time with Blue Note, Columbia, South Bay, Poyldor and Concord Records (thereby covering 1967 to 1983).
As a collection this works exceedingly well, managing to offer a well balanced collection which manages to allow the qualities of Shaw's voice to shine through. It opens with the Ashford and Simpson penned 'Woman of the Ghetto', which features Shaw's distinctive scatting style that would be sampled by Blueboy for their 90's hit 'Remember Me'. Other highlights include 'California Soul', recently used by a well known Southern Fried Chicken retailer in the UK, which fares well in a direct comparison with the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell version, and 'Yu-Ma / Go Away Little Boy' (here featured in her second recording of the song taken from her 1977 album 'Sweet Beginnings'). This beautiful song opens with a gentle vocal vamp before moving into a wonderfully controlled examination of the narrator's relationship with her current beau. Bittersweet but without the venomous bite of Mille Jackson, it remains her biggest hit, reaching No 21 in the US R&B chart.
If you don't own a Marlena Shaw record this offers an excellent and extremely well considered collection of her work, which might (hopefully) inspire you, dear reader, to consider buying her single issue albums; some of which are currently available for a very reasonable price.
Once again Soul Bother Records and the Prangell brothers have provided an excellent service to soul music, issuing another inspired compilation.
Highly recommended without hesitation.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Vinyl
Even though she does not possess a household name, Marlena Shaw is a prime example of a classic soul artist. With her talents recently noticed by the advertising department of KFC; her song "California Soul" was broadcast to all the UK, and those familiar with experimental Dj's such as Shadow & Cut Chemist may well have noticed both her and other soul artists included in many of their mixtapes. Her orchestral backing and powerful voice are both uplifting and ofcourse entertaining, and I would recommend this record to a first time soul buyer as a great introduction. A good quality album which you will listen to for many years, a record you will end up respecting.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
classic soul/jazz its fab what a voice!!
wow this album is cool i cant stop playing i like her the spice of life album too this is a must for any collection i bought this a few years back like most of the cds ive reviewed... Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2008 by Mr. S. L. Smith
I Hope CDs Don't Wear Out
For me, this CD is the one that I play over and over and over again.
I never tire of hearing it. It is just so well made - every bar of every track.
I never tire of hearing it. It is just so well made - every bar of every track.
Published on 1 Jun 2008 by Adam B. Cooke
Nice introduction to Marlena Shaw
I bought this CD cos KFC were running a promotion using a song called California Soul, which I immediately recognised as the voice of Marlena Shaw. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2004 by "dinmc"
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