Say Yo' Business: Live!

Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir, Linda Tillery | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Earthbeat
• ASIN: B00005BC92
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,236 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Wild and crazy, African rhythm-driven gospel/folk done a cappella style. Linda Tillery & Cultural Heritage Choir's live performances have always had a vitality that exceeds the energy of their many studio recordings. Although these performances were recorded live at various folk festivals in Calgary, Edmonton, and other locales, this is more than just a typical concert recording; it's an international, intergenerational, cross-genre, cross-cultural event with highlights of R&B and world music of the past and present. Featuring appearances by R&B and folk greats Richie Havens and Wilson Pickett, plus new artists like Kelley Joe Phelps, Eric Bibb, and Laura Love, this performance brings together the best and brightest world stars from Australia, Senegal, and Venezuela. The Choir draws material from various unique sources, including Negro spirituals ("Wayfaring Stranger"), Bobby McFerrin (the throbbing vocal percussion jam "I'm Angry"), and James Brown (a party medley called "Jaime Moreno's Jam" featuring African-flavored approaches to his best-loved tunes). Most of the tunes are done with voices creating all the lead melody and rhythmic lines, but Wilson Pickett's rich bluesy performance of "Don't Let Nobody Drag Yo' Spirit Down" features Eric Bibb's swampy acoustic guitar accompaniment. Emma Jean does a great Aretha Franklin-flavored lead vocal on the feisty and spiritual "Stand Tall and Be Happy," while wailing vocalist Laura Love is very much in the Natalie Merchant vein. This business is irresistible. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great one, May 5, 2001

By 

JT Mason (Carmel, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Say Yo' Business: Live! (Audio CD)

This is an amazing cd that captures the magic of the live performances of Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. If you like spirited, heartfelt, get up and get dancing kind of music buy this one. It starts with an incredible rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing that combines African drumming wit ha gospel choir sound. It continues on with an amazing jam in tribute to James Brown. There are wonderful guest performances by Wilson Pickett, Laura Love, Eric Bibb, Kelly Joe Phelps, Odetta and more. Linda Tillery is one of our true musical treasures.

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent, March 5, 2010

By 

Bill Your 'Free Form FM Handi Cyber Print DJ ... (Mahwah, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Say Yo' Business: Live! (Audio CD)

WaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaY back when, Linda Tilery was singer in a San Fran horn rock band called The Loading Zone who had two RCA albums in 1968 and 1969. The Loading Zone is a decent slice of the genre, and "Can I Dedicate" from the album became a jazzy instrumental FM stand by if not staple of early west coast progressive radio. The second album seems to have dropped off the face of the planet.

I thought you might like that, even though what Linda Tilery did when people really did come to the bay with flowers in the hair has little to do with this 2001 album: EXCEPT that if you think age ALWAYS takes its toll on a singer's pipes, Say Yo' Business will prove that ALWAYS is just not true.

In fact, quite the opposite, and if you don't believe me, grab that first Loading Zone album when you buy this, and you'll hear how years--lifetimes if you think of 1968-have made Tilery an exponedentially better singer. If on Loading Zone she makes the mistake many young singer's make--over emoting with a young voice that has not yet developed enough husk, her rich voice is perfectly used on Say Yo Business. Tilery's instrument is buffered, powerful, deep natural and completely confident.

Say Yo' Business is Tilary singing gospel, funk, soul and blues with a big chorus of back up singers. The sound is incredibly natural, and the album works as a fusion of traditional and modern--clean continental sounds set to the building blocks of music that-- well, say that bands like The Loading Zone were trying to push forward way back in that very different era.

This album sounds much more primal and sticks to the roots, but roots that Tilery is incredibly potent at interpreting. The flowers in the hair have died, but then and now, this music sticks.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sweet sweet song, October 29, 2001

By 

Elaine in the East Bay (Fremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Say Yo' Business: Live! (Audio CD)

If you love the glory of the human voice, round, warm and sweet, it is all here. The best Wayfarin' Stranger ever ever. I'll Fly Away flies away, complete with harmony, feeling, lift and lilt. Clarity of expression and joy of sharing that clarity. Singing, swinging, moving the earth, swaying the clouds and rocking the ocean. Get this.