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We Say...
"Rescue Me," released in October, 1965, is one of the great propulsive R&B classics. Driven by bassist Louis Satterfield, it was a nonstop Chicago groove out of the Chess family of labels when Fontella Bass first heard it and added her heart and soul, for which she was finally awarded writer's royalties nearly 30 years after the song was released.
It is not the only landmark in Bass' history. Fontella, married to trombone player Lester Bowie of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, moved to the free-jazz friendlier environs of Paris three years after her follow-up ("Recovery," cut from the same bass-ic cloth). There she sang with that group on the pump-pump-pumpin' of "Theme de Yo Yo" from the album Les Stances a Sophie, and in my infrequent forays behind the public turntables, it elicits many interested parties looking at the spinning label and wondering Who It Is. Fontella negotiates the funk of free-jazz with an earthy sensuality closer to Millie Jackson, and even Miles' risqueé better half, Betty Davis.
So I was thinking at a record flea market a while back (for those in the NY neighborhood, the WFMU Record Fair takes place the first week of April) when I spied an original LP pressing of Free, released in 1972 on Stan Lewis' Jewel/Paula label out of Shreveport, LA. I was curious to hear it, thought I'd come back later; it was gone when I returned. The hesitation blues.
Now we can all have a listen. Setting the scene, Fontella has come home to claim her own, 32 years old, in the prime of voice, young enough to push her notes and old enough to know better. After years of listening to the most outré minds of her generation, soon to be a mother of four (her own mother was in Clara Ward's Gospel Troupe), she radiates matriarchal power.
Free is a proud, commanding record and Fontella guides the late soul arrangements, post-Stax, "finger-lickin' good" as the deep stir fry of "It Sure Is Good" would have it, adding a little Chi-Lite (those are swirling strings on "I'm Leaving the Choice Up to You,") to the steam of "Home Wrecker." "I Want Everyone to Know" and "To Be Free" are pure affirmation. I had hoped that perhaps some Art Ensemble adventurism might seep into her settings, but Fontella sticks close to the traditionals, even to an updated version of "Rescue Me," covering her own greatest hit. After all these years, she owns it. -
They Say...
If Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me" is the best soul single that Aretha Franklin never made, then Free is the lost classic that deserves space in any record collection housing worn-out copies of the Queen of Soul's I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and Spirit in the Dark. Reuniting Bass with producer Oliver Sain, who helmed her classic mid-'60s sides for Chess, Free draws on the singer's gospel roots to forge a deeply spiritual and moving examination of post-civil rights America. Cuts like "To Be Free," "Talking About Freedom," and "My God, My Freedom, My Home" showcase the remarkable power and poignancy of Bass' vocals, couched beautifully by Sain's nuanced, blues-inspired arrangements. This excellent, well-annotated reissue includes the original 1972 Free LP in its entirety along with four bonus tracks -- excellent stuff from a singer unjustly dismissed as a one-hit wonder.
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| 01. |  |
To Be Free |
3:56 |
|
| 02. | |
Hold On This Time |
2:26 |
|
| 03. | |
I Want Everyone To Know |
3:03 |
|
| 04. | |
I Need To Be Loved |
2:29 |
|
| 05. | |
Talking About Freedom |
3:21 |
|
| 06. | |
I Need Love |
2:31 |
|
| 07. | |
Wiping Tears |
2:22 |
|
| 08. | |
Now That I've Found A Good Thing |
2:45 |
|
| 09. | |
Who You Gonna Blame |
2:44 |
|
| 10. | |
It Sure Is Good |
2:47 |
|
| 11. | |
I'm Leaving The Choice To You |
3:04 |
|
| 12. | |
Home Wrecker |
3:31 |
|
| 13. | |
It's Hard To Get Back In |
2:52 |
|
| 14. | |
My God, My Freedom, My Home |
3:44 |
|
| 15. | |
Rescue Me (New Version) |
2:46 |
|
15 Total Tracks, 44:21 Total Length
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Credits
- Fontella Bass - Main Performer // Fontella Bass - ? // Denis Blackham - Digital Remastering // Jools - Sleeve Remix // Malcolm Baumgart - Liner Notes // Mick Patrick - Liner Notes
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