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An Obscure Gem...Ronnie Milsap's First Album from 1971

Cory B. | Arizona | 10/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first glance I thought this was just another compilation of various Milsap tunes when I saw it on the store shelf. Reading the back cover of this CD revealed a pleasant suprise instead. This obscure and forgotten gem happens to be the first CD release of Ronnie Milsap's very first album recorded for Warner Brothers in 1971! There is another Milsap CD titled "A Rose by any other Name" that contains more of Milsap's Warner Brothers recordings, including five of the songs from this CD. Considering how rare Ronnie's recordings from this period are, both CD's should be snatched up by hardcore Milsap fans.



For those who don't know the full Milsap story, Ronnie was a mainstream R&B/Soul artist in the 1960's who managed to score a top five hit on the charts with his 1965 recording of "Never Had it so Good" on Scepter Records. Unfortunately, that song would be his only real success in the rhythm and blues world, and by the end of the decade the relatively unknown singer/pianist was working as a nightclub and session musician in Memphis. One session from this period is particularly noteworthy. In 1970, Ronnie played piano and sang backing vocals on Elvis Presley's classic single "Kentucky Rain" which was recorded at American Studios in Memphis.



Most of the songs here were recorded at that same studio with producer Dan Penn near the end of Milsap's R&B period...two years before Ronnie became a country artist in Nashville. Listed among the musician credits are some notable session players from the era such as David Briggs, Wayne Perkins, Bobby Woods, and Elvis Presley's great guitarist James Burton. The vocal power, range, and soulful delivery that Ronnie displays in this set of songs clearly shows the "MILSAP MAGIC" already fully developed at this early stage in his career. This is a strong debut effort that actually measures up to the quality of Milsap's better-known RCA albums from the 70's and 80's. Each of these eleven tunes are deserving of comment, so I will include a song by song review of this rare and obscure Ronnie Milsap album.



1. DEDICATE THE BLUES TO ME-- The CD starts off with one of the very best ballads Ronnie has ever sung! This gospel-flavored masterpiece is a beautiful slice of pure soul delivered with a glorious and heartfelt vocal performance that proves Milsap can tackle an R&B ballad as well as anybody. {Listen how Ronnie wails the word "nobody" in the first verse. Soulful singing at its best!} This gem should have put Ronnie high on the R&B charts for sure. Probably the highlight of the entire album.



2. SUNDAY RAIN-- A decent mid-tempo tune written by Mark James who also wrote the Elvis standard "Suspicious Minds". A vibrant string arrangement and solid Milsap delivery help carry the song.



3. PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HOW THE STORY ENDS-- Milsap fans should be familiar with this one, although not this particular recording. This beautiful Kris Kristofferson masterpiece was a grammy-winning number one country hit for Milsap in 1974. This is Ronnie's first recording of the song and although it sounds a little less "country", it clearly matches the quality of the 74 version! Milsap's soothing voice is spotlighted well here, and although both versions are excellent, I like the instrumentation of this recording even better.



4. SWEET LITTLE ROCK N' ROLLER-- Things really get moving here as Ronnie rocks out on a great remake of this Chuck Berry classic! This is probably Milsap's first true rock n' roll recording that also features some hot slide guitar, possibly from James Burton. This all-out rocker blows away Chuck Berry's original version, and it's a real treat for those like me who love the rockin' side of Ronnie.



5. BLUE SKIES OF MONTANA-- Another highlight of the CD. An edgy soul ballad with a creative arrangement that tells the story of the indians being forced off their homeland by the white man. A well-produced track that Milsap handles well.



6. SANCTIFIED-- A spirited, uptempo gospel tune featuring support from a female vocal group called the Black Cherries.



7. KEEP ON SMILING-- A moody R&B ballad with an effective arrangement and Milsap's soulful singing.



8. THE CAT WAS A JUNKIE-- This is a mid-tempo pop/rock tune that Ronnie told a funny story about in his 1990 autobiography. This song was a highlight of Ronnie's set list during his stint as the house band at T.J.'s nightclub in Memphis. Ronnie claims the club manager hated this song and would fire him everytime Milsap would play it, only to hire him back again and again! The audiences went crazy over the song since Ronnie would turn it into a real production on stage by stretching it out to 45 minutes. The studio version here is only two minutes and thirty seconds long, but how interesting it would be to hear Ronnie perform this song in the extended arrangement.



9. CRYING-- Yes, this is the great Roy Orbison classic, and Ronnie's excellent, heartfelt performance finds him hitting Roy's challenging high notes with ease! This is one of many Milsap recordings that showcases the vocal range that ranks him among the best singers in American pop music. While Orbison's recording of the song is hard to beat, this is a strong version of this great ballad by the underrated Milsap who can hold his own against the best of the best!



10. NOT FOR THE LOVE OF A WOMAN-- Here is a good slice of uptempo R&B that is one of my favorite songs on the CD. Milsap lets the Ray Charles influence out on this song with a gritty vocal that includes a down and dirty James Brown-ish scream from Ronnie near the end. Milsap sounds so convincingly funky and soulful on this particular song that it is literally mind-blowing to think this guy would one day be regarded as a country music legend!!



11. WHY-- The CD ends with a pleasant pop-flavored R&B ballad spotlighting Ronnie's smooth and soulful croon.



There's no doubt that this fine effort deserved more attention when it was first released 35 years ago. These are eleven rock solid songs without a weak tune in the whole set, and Ronnie certainly proves himself an R&B vocalist of the highest calibre. The recent release of this CD offers fans a chance to explore the early period of Ronnie Milsap's career that has been completely overshadowed by his country music legacy. What is also long overdue is a CD compilation of Milsap's late 60's recordings for the Scepter label which include a handful of gems such as Ronnie's tour de force recording of "House of the Rising Sun".



If you are a Milsap fanatic like myself or a lover of early 70's R&B, give this fine album a spot in your collection. Yes, Ronnie Milsap is a great country singer, but we already know that. Crank this CD up and you will discover a totally overlooked master of soul too!







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