Candi Staton [CD]

Candi Staton is perhaps best known today for a couple of big disco tunes, Young Hearts Run Free and You Got The Love, but before those she had enjoyed a big run of southern soul hits, all recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals AL with producer Rick Hall. They have the classic gritty Muscle Shoals sound with big, fat lithe horns and female choruses, and dissect the seamier side of life with titles like I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool), Mr And Mrs Untrue and Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man.

Candi had grown up singing, first in the church choir as a schoolgirl, and in gospel groups from the age of eight onwards, later touring with Aretha, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke and others, and had no difficulty whatsoever in switching to the rhythm and blues and country soul she recorded for Fame. Her naturally sweet voice was deliberately given a hoarser edge by Rick Hall through over singing to get the soulful effect he desired. Country music was as big in Alabama as soul so it was unsurprising that Candi should have hits with her heartfelt interpretations of Stand By Your Man and In The Ghetto.

This collection gathers most of the best of the classic recordings she made with the Muscle Shoals crew between 1969 and 1973, and which had been overlooked for far too long. They are not presented in chronological order and the notes are very hazy as to what was recorded when, and which of them were singles and which were album cuts. Eight A-sides and nine B-sides are actually included, with all but one A-side (Love Chain, from 1973) and three B-sides (tracks 13, 19 and 26) also duplicated on her first three albums.

In fact, the first two albums are present in full. I'm Just A Prisoner (1969) can be recreated by programming tracks 5, 3, 15, 2, 9, 10, 6, 1, 7 and 22; while Stand By Your Man (1971) comprised tracks 12, 17, 1 (again), 16, 14, 8, 9 (again), 18, 20 and 23. Her third album, Candi Staton (1972) is represented by tracks 21, 4, 24, 15 (again - unless a new version) and 25.

I've waited all of my adult life for Candi's Fame material (1969-1973) to be reissued and now it finally has been.....This cd has been digitally remastered and includes great liner notes by Tim Tooher...From the opening song of "I'm Just a Prisoner," a jumping juke joint rocker, to the last track of the delicious ballad "I'm Gonna Hold On (to What I Got This Time)" all 26 songs are flawless..Particularly riveting are the impassioned vocals and the southern-fried Muscle Shoals band on the rocking blues of "Sweet Feeling," "Heart on a String" and "Get it When I want it."

There's the sweetness in Candi's voice on the tender, but dramatic ballads "How Can I Put Out the Flame (When You Keep the Fire Burning)," "Sure As Sin" and Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is."

The cd also features Candi's biggest Fame hits such as her earth-shaking boogie on "Stand By Your Man" and her Grammy nominated "In the Ghetto." There's also the chart scorchers such as "Evidence," "Mr. & Mrs. Untrue" and "Love Chain." candi's smoky songs about unrequited love, adultery and the sweet blues is intoxicating and an unearthed treasure. I highly recommend this cd to anyone who likes classic soul, blues and passionate singing. This is A+++++++ Recently saw Candi on Jools Holland's Hootenany and she still has the sass and swagger that made these recordings so great and so precious.

Wow this is a fantastic revelation!! While the only Candi Staton I'd ever heard was the pleasant but perhaps inconsequential disco number "young hearts run free", I was intrigued to read (in an interview she gave to a UK newspaper) that she had a southern soul pedigree, and that critics were falling over themselves in their celebration of this retrospective. The raw passion and energy of southern soul did not really fit into my half-baked notion of Ms. Staton (glitter ball not too far in the distance); but she has exceeded my expectations beyond measure. From the opening bars of the first track "I'm just a prisoner..." to the closing (almost defeated) tones on "I'm gonna hold on (to what i got this time)" we embark on a roller-coaster ride through the heart aches and ecstacies so familiar to fans of soul Stax-style (where the influence of country music, blue grass and other vernacular styles can be detected). And make no bones about it, it IS familiar stuff. But that's what we want. Much more importantly it is Staton's extraordinary voice that carries it beyond the realms of just great soul music. And it is delivered with such verve and superbly funky musicianship, that I have no hesitation in saying this is Supreme Soul - on a par with the Arethas and Otis's of this world.

To borrow a contemporary line from Outkast its !!!!!SOUTHERNPLAYALISTICADDILLACMUZIK!!!!!!!!

Sublime stuff!!