Missionaria Protectiva

  CHANTER SISTERS  First Flight  (Polydor,1976) - Soul, Funk, Pop       What if Dusty in Memphis , but glam? That’s the improbable synthesis suggested, if not entirely executed, behind the bold pop-art colors of the Chanter Sisters’ 1976 album First Flight . That cover is hard to look away from, but how can this kitschy bauble be at all listenable, much less a work of art? Yet sisters Doreen and Irene Chanter deliver an album loaded with vocal chops, heart and invention, saturated hues and big soulful pipes providing a consistent entertainment, with curious bona fides. TRACKLIST: Cuckoo-Cuckoo                         Darlin'                         Side Show                         Hound Dog                         Band O...

  GROVER WASHINGTON Jr.  The Best Is Yet To Come  (Elektra, 1982) - Jazz       As with Washington's earlier WINELIGHT, the collection includes an irresistible single; the title track is driven by one of Patti Labelle's best-ever vocals. While Bobby McFerrin is also among the guest singers (“Things Are Getting Better”), it's the instrumental work by Grover and company – bassist Marcus Miller, keyboardist Richard Tee and percussionist Ralph McDonald are among the players here – that keeps the grooves flowing. Mellow, soulful and featuring a variety of tempos and arrangements that are always light on their feet, THE BEST IS YET TO COME is a terrific display of Washington's talents as songwriter, producer and performer. TRACKLIST: Can You Dig It                         The Best Is Yet To Come                         More Than Meets The Eye ...

  MARLENA SHAW  Just A Matter Of Time  (Blue Note,1976) - Jazz       This was Ms. Shaw’s swansong for Blue Note before she jumped ship to Columbia in 1977. The album’s opener, the buoyant ‘It’s Better Than Walkin’ Out’ with its slurping hi-hat patterns finds Shaw jumping on the disco bandwagon but she adapts to her new musical surroundings with aplomb and panache. Boasting a big, anthemic chorus, dancing string lines and a throbbing dance groove, the tune was released as a single (the 12-inch single version, Blue Note’s first ever release in that format, is added as a bonus cut). Better still is the lovely Gwen Guthrie-co-written tune, ‘This Time I’ll be Sweeter,’ a song that was first recorded by the UK’s own Linda Lewis. ‘Think About Me’ struts along with a sassy funk vibe while the mid-tempo ‘You & Me’ is almost ethereal with its swirling harps. ‘Love Has Gone Away’ – a souped-up cover of a Spinners’ tune – is pure disco and ‘Take My Body’ (written b...

  MINNIE RIPERTON  Perfect Angel  (Epic,1974) - Soul       Perfect Angel owes more to a Van Morrison album of the early 70s than to any out-and-out soul record. It's bucolic, laid back, freewheeling and a pleasure from start to finish. Its mix of sultriness and innocence reminds us if just how great a loss Riperton – who died tragically young of cancer in 1979 – was to the world. TRACKLIST: Reasons                      It's So Nice (To See Old Friends)                      Take A Little Trip                      Seeing You This Way                      The Edge Of A Dream                      Perfect Angel                      Every ...

        KISS fans will recognize Anton Fig as the man who “sat in” for Peter Criss on both the Dynasty and Unmasked albums. More widely, he was known as the house drummer for the Late Show with David Letterman from 1986 through Letterman’s retirement in 2015. Aside from that, he was and still is the drummer of choice for all of former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s various solo works including Frehley’s Comet. Anton is known as “The Thunder From Downunder,” with a penchant for Jazz inspired, Fusion filled swoons that could bring even the cheesiest of 80s Rock to life in a way that most drummers of the era couldn’t or weren’t allowed to. In retrospect, Anton Fig is one of the most proficient drummers of the 70s and 80s Hard Rock and Heavy Metal era, with a style that has come to define the incredible output of Ace Frehley as a solo artist.  ACE FREHLEY Frehley's Comet Atlantic, 1987 https://www.sendspace.com/file/n4f62ctj

  STILLWATER  I Reserve The Right!  (Capricorn,1978) - Southern rock       They look like they just got off work for the day at the farm, so you know without the image they'd better have some chops to warrant this record's release. Lead guitarist Rob Walker's "Alone on a Saturday Night" is a beautiful song, with drummer Sebie Lacey getting the honors for the lead vocal. It is the tune that stands out and grabs you on a decent outing produced by Stillwater and engineer Tad Bush for Buddy Buie Productions. The title track sounds like it is a cross between Duke & the Drivers meets Bachman Turner Overdrive sans Randy Bachman; it is truck-driving rock without the production qualities of "Alone on a Saturday Night" or the other subdued highlight here, "Women (Beautiful Women)." The vocals simply don't cut it on the title track, "I Reserve the Right," and they're equally rough on "Keeping Myself Alive," which is an exer...