MESMERIZING VOCAL MAGIC~BRAVO ESTHER!!!
Bradly Briggs | TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA | 03/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Esther Phillips jumped out at me full-force while in my teens with the "Release Me" smash hit that has a sound all its own and made the transformation of Little Esther the child star into Esther Phillips the woman who always had a unique sound & passionate soulfulness all her own and to see Esther Phillips in concert was a life-changing experience and always the ultimate treat!
From that memorable small label smash which was beautifully produced by Kenny Rogers brother Leland who became a real fan of Esther's while she was appearing in at a small club in Texas, a major label move to Atlantic Records produced many fascinating sets throughout the remainder of the great musical sixties and this stellar collection is a must have for anyone who loves a great singer in a tremendous setting...nobody could get inside of a great song better than Esther and this brilliant collection of haunting & magical performances is a keeper!
Opening with The Beatles "And I Love Him", it is easy after listening to this definitive version to understand why The Beatles sent for Esther to appear on British Television and John Lennon proudly introduces Esther who does a deeply soulful live hypnotic version of their classic and this amazing appearance is now on youtube for all to savor and enjoy! Songs are richly varied here and with a few plays this stellar collection quickly becomes a hard one to take off the changer and will come back over and over to become an all time favorite once Esther gets under your skin...guaranteed she will do exactly that to any true music lover! This wondrous overview from Esther Phillips great Atlantic Records period will just served to wet ones appetite to seek out each complete work from this great singer from one of her major great recording periods...numerous classic masterworks such as the incredible Grammy Winning masterpiece "From A Whisper To A Scream" came after her Atlantic Records stint all being timeless legendary sessions that are stunning to listen to and experience to this day. Bravo Esther and you are truly loved and missed by many..."
Great selection of Esther's sixties music
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 06/05/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Esther's career was somewhat up-and-down. She first tasted success at the start of the fifties but then a lot of this went wrong. Esther got another chance when she was rediscovered in 1960 singing in a Houston nightclub by Kenny Rogers, who was himself some years away from making the big time. Release me (a cover of a country song from the early fifties) was given the R+B treatment by Esther and her musicians, resulting in an American top ten hit, which led to a contract with Atlantic in 1964. Despite the title of the album, Release me is included here. Of course, the most famous version of the song is the one by Engelbert Humperdinck, but at the time Esther had her big hit, he was still Gerry Dorsey, an unknown singer living in Leicestershire.
There is no question that the other nineteen tracks here are Atlantic recordings. Many of these are, like Release me, covers or (more accurately) re-interpretations. Esther recorded songs with diverse origins including And I love him (Beatles), If you love me really love me (Edith Piaf), As tears go by (written by members of the Rolling Stones for Marianne Faithfull, whose own version launched her career in the sixties) and older songs by composers such as Cole Porter (Every time we say goodbye, It's all right with me) and others.
Esther's versatility may not have helped her. Atlantic tried various styles and settings in an attempt to recapture the success of Release me, but to no avail. Nevertheless, Esther was a brilliant and very distinctive R+B singer whose music stands comparison with any of her contemporaries. This compilation provides a great introduction to her music."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1