Customer Reviews

Moon Shadow

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It's about time this long out of print gem by Labelle got reissued. Group member Nona Hendryx wrote most of the material on this release save for "Peace with yourself" written by group member Sarah Dash and the two cover tunes the Who's Won't get fooled again and the unedited funky version of Cat Stevens' Moonshadow.

All in all the vocals are top notch, the song selections strong and the instrumentation strong as well. I highly recommend this album to anyone that wants to here the early Labelle years.

Peace with yourself:-)

Their 2nd album found Labelle transitioning into more self-penned material, with Nona Hendryx emerging as their chief songwriter and Sarah Dash again contributing as well, with the fast churning & rocking gospelish " PEACE WITH YOURSELF ". Nona's writing incorporates socially conscious & illuminating message songs like " SUNDAY'S NEWS " & one of my favorites " PEOPLE SAY THEY'RE CHANGING ", but also personal like " AIN'T IT SAD IT'S ALL OVER " and " TOUCH ME ALL OVER ". " I BELIEVE I'VE FINALLY MADE IT HOME " is the first of the theatrical type songs that the group did, with shared vocals & verses by each member. It starts with acoustic guitar - try to name another soul group that used acoustic guitars in 1972. That was the non-traditional approach of Labelle to incorporate all sorts of genres into their music. This album illustrates their direction into mostly self-penned material, with just 2 covers of rock songs.

The trio of Patti, Sarah & Nona sound super-tight in their singing, if a bit strident in the mixing of this album. They're still striving for their ultimate " sound " , which they would achieve to maximum results with their next 4 albums, starting with their 3rd album, the fantastic " PRESSURE COOKIN' ". The cover of Cat Stevens " MOONSHADOW " is a lengthy jam with Patti letting each musician do a solo in the studio. The Who's " WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN " is a bit disappointing as it doesn't rock it up hard enough , which they did on their 1st album to rock material like " WILD HORSES " and " MORNING MUCH BETTER ". The drum mix sounds odd on this song, and it opens the album. Would love to hear a remix of it.

The sound is excellent on this CD reissue. It's missing the lyrics that came with the original album. Essential for fans of Labelle, group and solo.

Labelle must have lacked confidence in their own writing abilities early in their career. Listen to any song by any member, and find quick that is absurd.

Moonshadow has a Who cover, "We Won't Get Fooled Again," and the Cat Steven's title track. Both are reconstructed with stellar, organic funk playing, and of course, Labelle's vocal harmonies, unmatched in rock or soul or funk. Hear in particular how the title track, with its huge constructions and amazing organ solo, is as complex and royal as any 1972 progressive rock--and dates a lot better than much prog.

That Labelle are great vocalists is not subject to dispute. But equally solid is their arranging ability, evidenced by reworking two rock songs into funk completely their own. The rest of the tracks here are shorter, and to a degree, mine more conventional 1972 soul territory. That would later change, as the band made their own material more rich and ambitions (listen to "Cosmic Dancer" on NightbirdsPhoenixChameleon) but even for an early moonshot, Moonshadow will exceeded even the expectations of the man made of green cheese

This album clearly shows how Labelle is unparalleled by any girl group during and after their time! No, they may not have had as many sales as some other groups, but no one could match their range, tight harmonies and pure energy they delivered on this recording. This is truely a gem of vocal genius. I highly recommend this and all of Labelle's recording's if you want to truely enjoy a great selection of songs and pure talent.