Customer Reviews

Best of

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

 

 

Gwen McCrae, born December 21, 1943 in Pensacola, Florida, was a familiar name on the R&B charts through the Disco years, having recorded seven album for the T.K. Records subsidiary Cat Records (not to be confused with the old Cat subsidiary of Atlantic Records back in the mid-1950s) from 1974 to 1979. Her husband, George McCrae, recorded for the main T.K. label in the same period, a company started by Henry Stone which also had, as its main Disco artist, KC & The Sunshine Band (Stone and Steve Alaimo also started the Cat subsidiary, placing Willie Clarke in charge of operations). T.K. is also credited with having the first # 1 Disco hit, George McCrae's Rock Your Baby (his first hit) which made it to # 1 on both the Billboard Pop Hot 100 and the R&B charts in early summer 1974 (as well as # 19 on the Adult Contemporay charts).

Gwen, meanwhile, was the first of the two to actually have a hit single when Lead Me On made it to # 32 R&B and # 102 Hot 100 Bubble Under in November 1970 b/w Like Yesterday Our Love Is Gone on Columbia 45214. Neither side is here, however, as this concentrates on her Cat hits, which began in late 1973 when For Your Love topped out at # 17 R&B b/w Your Love (Is Worse Than A Cold Love) on Cat 1989., followed in April 1974 with It's Worth The Hurt which stalled at # 66 R&B b/w the very underrated 90% Of Me Is You on Cat 1992. Only the B-side to the first Cat single is missing here.

Each was part of her first Cat album, Gwen McCrae (Cat 1603) in 1974, which also contained tracks 5 and 6 in the volume. One of those, It Keeps On Raining, was then issued as the flip of Rockin' Chair early in 1975 on Cat 1996, and by April the A-side was on its way to # 1 R&B and # 9 Hot 100 (her only Pop Hot 100 hit). That led to a re-release of her first album with a new cover and the number Cat 2603 in 1974, followed in 1975 with yet another re-release but with Rockin' Chair replacing Your Love (Is Worse Than A Cold Love) and the first cover used again.

In the fall of 1975, the single Love Insurance reached # 16 R&B in October b/w He Keeps Something Groovy Goin' On (Cat 1999), with only the A-side included here, and early in 1976 she had Cradle Of Love get to # 53 R&B b/w Easy Rock on Cat 2000. Again, just the hit side is here. Meanwhile, a late 1975 album with husband George (Together - Cat 2606), produced the hit single Winners Together Or Losers Apart, which peaked at # 44 R&B in April 1976 b/w Homesick, Lovesick on Cat 2002. Once more, the B-side is missing here, but tracks 8 and 9 were also featured in the album.

In December 1976 she then had her last charted single with Cat when Damn Right It's Good struggled to a # 72 R&B b/w Love Without Sex on Cat 2005. Both sides are here, and also appeared in the album Something So Right Cat 2008). Tracks 12 to 15 are from her 1978 album Let's Straighten It Out (Cat 2613), while tracks 17 to 19 are from her 1979 album Melody Of Life (Cat 2614).

A very nice compendium of a Disco Diva whose lack of Pop Hot 100 entries is mystifying. It has excellent sound reproduction and liner notes by John Ridley and Rob Fisher.

If you like the soulful seventies, R & B or disco music, you'll love this CD. Gwen McCrae has one of the best female voices ever recorded and she knows how to use it for the listeners enjoyment. This is an excellent CD to have in your collection.