Customer Reviews

The Best Of Esther Phillips (1962-1970)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Does it even the score if Atlantic was as misguided and directionless with the great Esther Phillips as Columbia was with Aretha Franklin?

The earliest work on here was recorded for independent label Lenox records under the tutelage of Kenny Rogers' brother Leland Rogers (later responsible for the 13th Floor Elevators!). This material is an excellent mix of country/soul in the style popularized by Ray Charles. If, like me, the only version of "Release Me" you have ever heard is the sappy Engelbert Humperdinck take, Esther's offering will be a revelation. Not even the terminally square Anita Kerr Singers in the background can damage this fantastic performance. However, once Atlantic got its mitts on Ms. Phillips she was put to work on lounge/supper club things with overblown showbiz backings. She's good at this material, but this is unquestionably NOT what Esther Phillips is all about. While the person writing the annotations seems to think that she transformed Lennon/MacCartney's "And I Love Him" and Jagger/Richards' "As Tears Go By," her versions sound very ill at ease. They make me want to go back and listen to "Release Me" again.

Things improve dramatically with the second disc. There's a smoking sex-changed version of Percy Sledge's signature song ("When a Woman Loves a Man"), a set of timeless live cuts that finally unleash all the blues in Esther's voice, and a perfect update on the country/soul approach with Bob Dylan's "Tonight, I'll Be Staying Here With You." Ah, but by the time of this last track, Esther had moved to Roulette Records and been reunited with Lelan Rogers who obviously had not forgotten how to produce her. Along the way, Esther places her inimitable stamp on "Moody's Mood for Love" and a string of really decent late 1960's/early 1970's singles. After hearing this occasionally bewildering collection, you have to marvel at how well her musical career was taken in hand by Creed Taylor in the 1970s.

The annotations are great and include some very funny stories about the woman. The sound quality is up to Rhino's usual excellent standard.

Thanks to amazon.com I had ordered this beautiful CD thinking its just another obcure diva, but I can't stop playing it again and again, since this is realy awesome collection.She is like a little crazy sister of Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Carmen McRae, possesed very strong, recognisable voice and a style that could be emoployed in very various musical settings.It is little painfull to listen how desperately her producers wanted to find right direction for her, because she was such a talent that couldn't be put in one category.I love her early country recordings and I think she was really great doing just that.But than comes the blues.And then disco.If she is still alive, who know what she could be up to?

Esther Phillips is for me one of the best singers of all time. This collection showcases her development as a singer as she matures into one of the truly great jazz/blues singer.

It is especially welcome for including some really hard to find tracks, especially from her 1970 Live album. The booklet is also really informative.

5 Stars are insufficient for this album

As the title indicates, this collection does not include her 1950's hits (as "Little Esther") or her later work on Kudu and Mercury (but contrary to the title, the songs were recorded from 1962 to 1971). The songs included are her recordings for Lennox, Atlantic, and Roulette.
This non-chronological compilation consists of mostly pop, jazz, and R&B ballads; the soulfully-funky bluesy-rock of "Mojo Hannah" is an anomaly. Includes several live recordings on second disc. Booklet includes essay by David Nathan, chart rankings, and track info. Like most compilations, this 2-disc set could have easily contained more tracks.
For those unfamiliar with Esther Phillips, her voice is a combination of Billie Holiday and an Ike-era Tina Turner, with a little bit of Dinah Washington, Ann Peebles, and Macy Gray thrown in for good measure. Her musical style is even more diverse: everything from jazz standards to country songs to pop & rock tunes by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan.
Don't buy this if looking for another Etta James or Ruth Brown or "Big Mama" Thornton or Koko Taylor or Irma Thomas. Esther is very much a transcendent recording artist - similar to Nina Simone. And don't expect to jam; be ready to groove, `cuz this is music to chill to. (For something more funky, try her 1970s recordings)

Esther Phillips was one of the greatest vocalists that comes once in a lifetime. During her lifetime she was underated and unappreciated, hopefully this CD will give her the respect she deserves.

A very nice collection with many of her best recordings through the years. This packet is a perfect start for those who hav'nt heard much yet of this great singer, often described as an underestimated singer.

The title of the song you're looking for is "Home is where the Hatred Is". This song was originally done by Gil Scott Heron, but Esther's version is more powerful.

While this excellent collection may be worth the $50+ price tag, I was able to head over to www.rhino.com and purchase a new copy for less than $20.00 - it arrived in under a week. This is definitely the most comprehensive collection of Miss Phillips' work and has very informative and thorough liner notes by the always candid David Nathan (pick up his "Soulful Divas" book for a great chapter on Miss Phillips). After listening to this set over and over in college, I am so glad to have tracked it down and placed it in my permanent library!!!

Esther's reading of the Buddy Scott & Jimmy Radcliffe (Of "Long After Tonight Is All Over" Fame) "Try Me" (track # 2, Disc # 2) song is so stirring it's worth the price of this collection for that one track alone. The song is often mis-credited as the James Brown song of the same title, It is most certainly NOT that song, shows just how soulfully blue Esther can sing. Ruby Winters recorded "Try Me", on the Diamond imprint, in 1967 a year after Esther's Atlantic single and more recently Gini Sicilia's cover on her "Allow Me To Confess" debut proves that a good song never dies. Esther was such an excellent stylist and that fact is brilliantly represented right here. I would give this a must have for any Esther Phillips fan.

it was winter 1961.my dear aunt pearl had a visitor from out of town at her small
dixwell ave apt in new haven,ct.aunt pearl was a fabulous cook and i was going to
visit her and have some of her neck bones and rice with homemade biscuits.her out
of town guest was esther phillips,a long time friend.we ate our soul food dinner
and talked about music.ms phillips sang a song for me.some sweet and sad little
song that made my heart ache with a strange emotion that made me feel like crying.
i didn't though.it would be very unseemly for a skinny little fourteen year old
boy to cry like a baby because some woman sang a song to him.i have never forgotten
that day.i have some of esther phillips cds.it is hard for me to play them without
being overcome with emotion.i miss my auntie,she passed away twenty years ago.ms
phillips passed on in 1984.thanks for the memories.one love.