Down in the Basement

Sugar Pie Desanto | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 26, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OA9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,268 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #54 in Music > World Music > Caribbean & Cuba > Zouk
  • #92 in Music > World Music > Caribbean & Cuba > Soca
  • #93 in Music > World Music > Caribbean & Cuba > Haiti

Editorial Reviews

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD

Satisfactory R&B singer had commercial success with '~I Want to Know" (included here), then tried unsuccessfully in the Chess 1960s to forge a career on par with that of her cousin Etta James. The single "Soulful Dress" was covered by Marcia Ball years later. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Product Description

This CD is an out of print collectible! It is the original Chess release. Catalog CHD-9275. There is a drill hole through the case and art.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YOW!! Sizzling hot '50s-'60s R&B, January 1, 2009

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Down in the Basement (Audio CD)

Sugar Pie DeSanto "Down In The Basement" (Chess-MCA, 1989)

------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a sizzling set of stunning R&B from one of Oakland's finest soul singers, Sugar Pie DeSanto, a pint-sized hellraiser who had a wild, bluesy snarl and a great set of pipes. She also wrote a lot of her own music, and penned several hits for other stars on the blues and R&B circuits. Sugar Pie didn't have huge success on the charts, but you can tell from the raw energy on these recordings that she must have blown the roof off any gig she played live. This 12-song collection was originally an LP that came out in 1989 (thank god!) and it is, amazingly, still the only above-board collection of her vintage material for the Chess and Checker labels. It is way too short of an album, but man does it smoke! There are a half-dozen songs on here that are burned into my brain forever, including the slinky, joyful "Down In The Basement" and the explosive "Do I Make Myself Clear." If you like raw, pure, rockin' blues, you owe it to yourself to discover what Sugar Pie DeSanto sounded like in her prime. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Music Reviews)

5.0 out of 5 stars The reel deal - 50-60's Chicago R&B in a box., October 28, 2010

By 

lgo51 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Down in the Basement (Audio CD)

If you love the variety of the 50-60's Chicago R&B sound this is for you. Great re-mastering job that defies it's half-century age revealing all the nuance and staging of the time. Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars a gem of a discovery..., February 26, 2002

By 

James Tg Fuentes (quezon city Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down in the Basement (Audio CD)

admittedly, what caught this reviewer's attention (apart from being unknown this side of the world) was her seemingly malayan mold...

hunch confirmed...her father IS from this part of the world. doesn't hurt if her cousin is soul stalwart etta james. the 12 tracks herein are just samplers of what this diminutive soul slugger is made of. while she wasn't as blessed commercially, her fans still are - as her present day catalog attests.

still slugging it out with no end in sight.