A pair of late 70s albums from Esther Phillips – '77's You've Come A Long Way, Baby and '78's All About Esther Phillips – together in a single set! The cover of You've Come A Long Way, Baby which has Phillips standing in front of a limo, might be a bit "on the nose" – but the album itself has some really nice tracks, thanks in part to production and arrangements by Pee Wee Ellis, who always managed to get the best out of Esther during the 70s! The groove's got a lot top shelf clubby soul and easygoing funky swagger – and Esther sounds great out front! Tracks include "Into The Mystic", "Love Addict", "If I Loved You", "In A Soft & Subtle Way", "My Prayer", and "Somewhere Along The Line". This version includes "My Prayer (Previously Unreleased Extended Mix)". All About Esther Phillips is a sweet 70s Wayne Henderson-produced set – quite a different groove for Esther! It's got elements of the lightly funky soul of some of the immediately preceding records, but this one has some elements in the arrangements that bring a more gentle touch – particularly the chimes & strings. Groovy stuff! Titles include "The Man Ain't Ready", "Native New Yorker", "SOS", "Pie In The Sky", "If I Fall In Love By Morning" and more. (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums from the 70s, with bits of R&B bubbling underneath the more contemporary arrangements. Backings are penned by Pee Wee Ellis and Gary King – and players include Bob James and Richard Tee on keyboards, Hubert Laws on flute, and Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd on drums – the latter of whom provides a sublime beat on the album's standout funky number "Disposable Society" – one of those great little groovers that never did anything for Esther at the time of its release, but which has really gotten rediscovered in recent years! Other tracks include "Doing Our Thing", "Living Alone", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby", and "I Feel The Same". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

2 albums recorded by Esther in the years before she broke into big fame on the Kudu label. Burnin is a stunning live set that marked Esther's move from being a loud young R&B singer into an older, more mature interpreter of material in a more jazzy style. She's backed here by a good group that includes Jack Wilson on piano, Richard Tee on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and she moves through a heartbreaking set of material that heralds her later 70's recordings for Kudu. Tracks include "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", "And I Love Him", "Shangri-La", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". Confessin points back at Esther's earlier career in R&B, but has a nice jazzy finish – thanks to players like Sonny Criss, Teddy Edwards, and Herb Ellis – and the record also features a few more sides from the Burnin sessions at Freddie Jett's Nightclub in LA. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Wonder", "I'm Getting Long Alright", "In The Evenin", and "I Love Paris". Due to time limit restrictions, the CD excludes the cuts "I'm Getting Long Alright" and "It Could Happen To You" from the LPs. (Soul, Vocalists) CD

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis – and although there's some of the usual Kudu electric funk in the mix, there's also some deeper soul elements too – a vibe that's often a bit laidback and open, almost more Atlantic Records at points – which is a mighty good fit for Esther's wonderful voice! As usual for Kudu, the players are an all-star lineup – one that includes Richard Tee on keyboards, George Benson on guitar, Maceo Parker on tenor, and Bernard Purdie and Billy Cobham on drums – and Don Sebesky's also on deck a bit, to sweeten a few tracks up with light strings. The album's got a great version of Bill Withers' "Use Me" that features a tasty break in the intro – and other titles include a great version of "Alone Again (Naturally)", plus the cuts "Let's Move & Groove", "Cherry Red", "Let Me In Your Life", and "You & Me Together". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Some of our favorite work ever by Esther Phillips – served up on a compilation that does a great job of sorting through her classic 70s sides for Kudu, CTI, and Mercury! Back in the 60s, Esther sung in a sad and bluesy sort of soul style – but in the 70s, at the time of these recordings, Esther picked up a sweet electric vibe, really hipping up her sound with lots of funky guitar, bass, and keyboards. The result is tremendous – as you'll hear on this set – as Esther works with arrangers that include Pee Wee Ellis, Bob James, Benny Golson and Harvey Mason to cut some wickedly soulful tunes! The set includes 18 tracks in all, with titles that include "Use Me", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "That's All Right With Me", "I've Never Found A Man", "Brother Brother", "From A Whisper To A Scream", "All The Way Down", "Black Eyed Blues", "Native New Yorker", "Changing", "SOS", "We've Got A Good Thing Going", "You Think Of Him", "Bedtime Stories", and "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy About Me". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

A collection of tracks that Esther recorded for Atlantic between the years 1964 and 1970, many of which continue the feeling of the Country Side album. Titles include "Hello Walls", "Double Crossing Blues", "I'm In Love", "Catch Me I'm Fallin", "All God Has Is Us", "Woman Will Do No Wrong", and "Crazy Love". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Includes tracks by Etta James, Margie Rayburn, Della Reese, Carla Thomas, Bernadette Carroll, The Chantels, Patti Page, and Esther Phillips. (Rock, Vocalists) CD

An interesting early album from Betty Carter – less jazz than some of her later work, but with a bit more of an edge than some of her ABC recordings. The album's got sort of an arranged sophisticated jazz style – in the mode of 60s work by Esther Phillips or Dinah Washington – and Betty handles some wonderful material with a dark edge, like "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Nothing More To Look Forward To", "Round Midnight", "I Wonder", "Who What Why Where When", and "The Good Life", all done in a sorrow-drenched style that's incredibly compelling, and a very different side to Betty's career. An album you'll be hard-pressed to find on vinyl – and nicely repacked for CD with 2 bonus cuts: "One Note Samba" and "Shine On Harvest Moon". CD

Music from Sippie Wallace, Jimmy Witherspoon, LaVern Baker, Mama Yancey, Joe Turner, Lil Green, Ruth Baker, Percy Mayfield, Ted Taylor, Esther Phillips, Otis Clay, Rufus Thomas, and more. (Blues, Vocalists) CD