Kent 297 - Millie Jackson - Millie Jackson's Soul For The Dancefloor (2008) - Rare Soul (FLAC)+Booklet

Millie Jackson spares no blushes, she tells it like it is. After she came to international prominence with her first Spring release, A Child of God, Millie created an impressive repertoire of Grade A, no bull, soul music in her own straight-talking and earthy style. She’s renowned and revered for her ballads and concept albums revolving around sex wars and infidelity, so this release is a bold move ina way that Kent have re-visited the best dance tracks from her impressive 16 album Spring catalogue and cut straight to the chase with this t compilation, which is a feast of soulful, danceable numbers. It winds up being, quite possibly, the finest ‘true soul’ femme vocal, dance album, of all time ? 22 solid dancefloor delights, but strictly not Disco fodder. The songwriting talents of George Jackson, Bobby Womack, Phillip Mitchell, Ashford and Simpson etc, see to it that even the most ardent soul fan is completely satisfied. Northern Soul fans should be delighted with Millie’s first ever 45, the stomping My Heart Took A Licking (But It Kept On Ticking), whose mere title is enough to conjure up adrenalin filled dance floors. They will also be pleased to discover several others that meet the criteria of Motownesque. Tracks such as Close My Eyes and I Miss You Baby will win many more fans for the fraternity. Those with a lust for the Modern or Deeper side will be overjoyed to have album tracks like Somethin’ ‘Bout Cha, You Can’t Turn Me Off and You Can’t Stand The Thought all on the same CD. The 21st century soul DJ will find this compilation indispensable as the raps and segues of the original concept LPs have been edited where appropriate, for instant punch. He’ll be especially pleased to hear and play the debut issue of the US 45 mix of If That Don’t Turn You On, debuting here. It’s so strong kent opened the whole package with it. When this CD puts such gems as Breakaway, Love Doctor and Don’t Send Nobody Else into context, true soul music lovers won’t be able to resist picking the original vinyl up for a song and I’m sure some of those price tags will start creeping up over the next few months. Millie has shown herself capable of matching most male singers in all sorts of ways, over the years. Here she takes on Little Milton with her reading of We’re Gonna Make It and then fellow Chicagoan, Darrow Fletcher and his Rising Cost Of Love; and gives a stunning performance every time. Her duet with Prince Phillip Mitchell on Fancy This is an unexpected bonus and yet again, all shades of soul fans can unite in their acclaim for House For Sale; just as they will do for this exquisite brilliant CD.

ABOUT THE WOMAN


Mildred Virginia Jackson was born in 1944, in Thomson, Georgia. She is the daughter of a sharecropper.Her mother died when she was a child and subsequently, she and her father moved to the New York City area and settled in Newark, New Jersey. She grew up influenced by the sounds of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and later, the O'Jays. By the time Jackson was in her mid-teens, she had moved into New York City to live with an aunt who resided in Brooklyn. She found an occasional modeling gig for magazines like JIVE and SEPIA. Beginning her career in the early 1960s,Millie Jackson's first taste of singing in front of an audience occurred one night at the famed nightclub Smalls Paradise. Sitting in the audience with friends, Jackson heckled the lady onstage and, when dared to do better, she stepped up to belt Ben E. King's "Don't Play It No More." Jackson was hired for another gig within two weeks, but didn't get paid. A gentleman by the name of Tony Rice took her to a venue in Hoboken, New Jersey, a couple of weeks later and then on to Brooklyn, NY, to perform for a nominal fee.  Her first single to chart was 1971's deceptively titled "A Child of God (It's Hard to Believe)," which many thought was a gospel track. Due to its heated lyrical content, the single was canceled, but still managed to peak at number 22 on the R&B charts. In the spring of 1972, Jackson had her first R&B Top Ten single with "Ask Me What You Want." She kept busy performing in nightclubs and enjoyed her second consecutive Top Ten single with "My Man, A Sweet Man" in August of 1972; it peaked at number seven. (Ironically, the song was not one of Jackson's favorites.) A year later, Jackson, whose vocal texture is similar to one of her idols, Gladys Knight, had her third Top Ten single with the moderately paced "Hurts So Good," which peaked at number three on the R&B charts and made the pop Top 40. The single bore the title of her album and was also featured on the movie soundtrack for Cleopatra Jones. Jackson produced the album with Brad Shapiro. However, she was only given credit for the album concept. In Jackson's own words, "...that's when they (label owners) met the real Millie Jackson." Thereafter, she was given credit for her efforts. In January of 1975, Jackson released the album that would introduce what would later become her trademark rap style of racy, raunchy language; her audience loved it. The album was Caught Up and the featured release was "If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right," for which she received two Grammy nominations. Jackson openly admits that she never had singing lessons and never thought she could sing. Consequently, she began to talk (or what was commonly known at the time as rap) on her songs in a blunt, candid manner to make up for the shortcoming and had her fourth Top Ten single with country singer Merle Haggard's "If You're Not Back in Love by Monday" (Billboard country charts number two). Jackson's version peaked at number five on the R&B charts. Over the next ten years, Jackson had numerous Top 100 singles for Spring Records. In 1986, she signed with Jive and released her fifth and sixth Top Ten singles in "Hot! Wild! Unrestricted! Crazy Love" and "Love Is a Dangerous Game, both respectively peaking at number nine and six on the R&B charts. In addition to her impressive music career, Jackson wrote the play Young Man, Older Woman; the play toured for four years. Her attention, though, has turned to the broadcast booth as a radio program host on the afternoon radio show in Dallas, TX. According to Billboard, Jackson is one of the top R&B acts to ever record or step onto a stage and is still giving her fans what they want as a radio host and a performer. three of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies. Her vocal performances are often distinguished by long, humorous, and explicit spoken sections in her music, which she started doing on stage to get the attention of the audience. She's the mother of the R'n'B singer Keisha Jackson. she has 30 odd albums to her credit and numerous 45,s and compilations..the lady qualifys as a LEGEND in my book!

AMM  

                                                                         The Taster!

                                                                  Tracks Below (FLAC)