I’ve really been digging that late 1960s/early 1970s r&b/soul music lately (see Merry Clayton). I’ve never listened to LaBelle before, or even know much about them for that matter, but a quick google search shows that they were an all-female singing group from the Philadelphia area. With that knowledge, I’m going to jump on in.
“Morning Much Better” has a great funk feel to the beginning of the track. Dang, it’s really easy to get grooving to this. Those guitars really give the song a super interesting feel to it. Wow, this song is an absolute jam. Wow. This song is freakin’ awesome, and I have very high hopes for the rest of the album after this intro track.
“You’ve Got a Friend” has a great sweetness to it, and is sort of ballad-like. The piano almost shimmers around that bop-y bass line, while the guitar really jams along and plays along super well with that piano. I’m not sure who the backing band was on this album (looking it up now), but whoever they were, they played absolutely phenomenally. The singing is absolutely insane as well. I can’t believe I haven’t listened to LaBelle yet.
“Baby’s Out of Sight” has an almost ethereal feel to it with the effects and way the instrumentation is laid out. Holy crap, I’m blown away right now. The instrumentation is incredible, and the singing is almost gospel-like. The only name I recognize on the personnel list from the band on wikipedia is Al Kooper, but he only plays on “Time”.
“Time and Love” is a very sweet sounding tune. Oh wow. That high note from one of the singers is absolutely jaw-dropping. Wow, this song definitely has a church-y feel with the organs and the gospel choruses. Once again, the instrumentation serves the song extremely well. The energy at the end of this track is insanely high.
Ooh, that bass intro “Too Many Days” is absolutely sick. The rest of the instruments jump in for a super sleek groove that really serve Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash all extremely well with their vocal performances. Holy smokes, that guitar is absolutely sick and dripping with flavor. You can’t help but tap along to this one, it’s super infectious. Wow, if you’re a music lover, you’re bound to enjoy this album.
“Runnin’ Out of Fools / If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody” has a really epic sounding intro, and quite heavy in emotion as well. Wow, this song is absolutely incredible. The singing is complemented so extremely well by the band – the band never seems to detract in any way shape or form from the singing, and only adds to the epicness of the whole composition. This is honestly an album I’d like to own on vinyl, just based on everything I’ve heard so far.
“Shades of Difference” has a very strong feel to the tune right away. The piano and bass really get down with each other behind the vocal performance by Labelle, Hendryx, and Dash. Wow, this is a great tune. The album doesn’t seem to be going for a whole lot on discogs right now, but I’m going to check my local record store in a day or two (I still have to look for Grin’s 1971 album, Grin, but haven’t had a good chance with the state of the world). Great song.
Oh wow, “Heart Be Still” has an absolutely insane solo organ introduction. Wow, when the rest of the song drops in, the flavor hits all the corners of the palette. There’s almost a bit of a shuffle going on in the percussion. There’s so much force in the emotion in the song, it’s incredible.
“Wild Horses”, originally by the Rolling Stones, is covered insanely well here. I’m a big fan of Merry Clayton’s cover of “Gimme Shelter” by the Stones, and it seems like this cover has its own take on the track much like Clayton’s cover. Wow. This song has so much emotion to it. It’s a heck of a composition between the singers of LaBelle and their very talented backing band. It’s so incredibly layered and intricate, but each instrument plays off of the next very well, while centering the voices of LaBelle, Hendryx, and Dash at the same time. Very impressive, and amazing tune.
Wow, I love the sound of “Time” already. The guitars and the piano and the organ play off of each other so extremely well, while the drums and bass really drive that emotion that the singers of LaBelle are demonstrating forward with insane force. Wow, that emotion in the singers voices is insane. The guitar tone is super juicy. It can be hard to even hear the organ by Al Kooper at times, but each time you can, it’s really serving the foundation of the track extremely well.
I can’t believe the last track is already on, what a great album. “When the Sun Comes Shining Through (The Ladder)” has a really nice heavy feel to it. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it sounds like the band is playing a bit looser, like they’re preparing the album to come to an end. Wow, that little instrumental break is absolutely sick, and then the singers of LaBelle come in with an almost a-capella approach. The song really crescendos at the end for a really awesome finish to an amazing album.
Music lovers of all types, though especially those of soul and r&b, should give this a listen. This album was amazing from start to finish – I’m going to be purchasing it on vinyl very soon. I definitely recommend this one, and if you listen I hope you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A