Esther Phillips' volume in Legacy's Jazz Moods series is righteously subtitled as "Hot." The 11 tracks here are taken from her three Kudu recordings in the early to mid-'70s -- From a Whisper to a Scream, What a Diff'rence a Day Makes, and Black-Eyed Blues.
Her chart-smashing cover of Gil Scott-Heron's "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" is here, as is her read of Eddie Floyd's "'Til My Back Ain't Got No Bone." Her funky take of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" is perhaps the most radical version of the song ever cut, and her reggae-drenched presentation of Bill Withers' "Use Me" is second only to the original.
Likewise, her twist on "I Can Stand a Little Rain" adds depth and dimension to the tune, stretching it to the bluesy side of R&B.
The late-night blues grind of her take on Ellington's "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" takes a jazz standard and shape-shifts it into a modern-day lounge classic.
In other words, this little compilation from a very short period in Phillips' career is solid, provocative, and -- for the money -- indispensable.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 'Til My Back Ain't Got No Bone | Esther Phillips | Play | 06:10 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Home Is Where the Hatred IsG.J. Scott | Esther Phillips | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Your Love Is So Doggone GoodDifosco Ervin, Rudy Love | Esther Phillips | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | From a Whisper to a ScreamAllen Toussaint | Esther Phillips | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Use MeBill Withers | Esther Phillips | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | I Can Stand a Little RainJim Price | Esther Phillips | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Black-Eyed BluesChris Stainton | Esther Phillips | Play | 06:11 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Mister MagicR. MacDonald, William Salter | Esther Phillips | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good | Esther Phillips | Play | 06:42 | 15 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Hurtin' House | Esther Phillips | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | What a Diff'rence a Day Makes | Esther Phillips | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 52 mins | 120 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. Adams | Composer |
| 2 | Steven Berkowitz | A&R |
| 3 | David Bett | Art Direction, Design |
| 4 | Difosco Ervin | Composer |
| 5 | Michael Gillette | Paintings |
| 6 | M. Grever | Composer |
| 7 | Jeremy Holiday | A&R |
| 8 | Jim Knight | Cover Photo |
| 9 | Rudy Love | Composer |
| 10 | R. MacDonald | Composer |
| 11 | Esther Phillips | Primary Artist |
| 12 | Woody Pornpitaksuk | Mastering |
| 13 | Jim Price | Composer |
| 14 | Seth Rothstein | Project Director |
| 15 | William Salter | Composer |
| 16 | G.J. Scott | Composer |
| 17 | Richard Seidel | Compilation Producer |
| 18 | Chris Stainton | Composer |
| 19 | Allen Toussaint | Composer |
| 20 | Bill Withers | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |