Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Record Collector | [2] |
Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready is a 2017 studio album by American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater.[3][4][5][6]
Reception
Mark Deming of Allmusic noted "Bridgewater recorded Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready at Royal Recorders, the Bluff City studio where producer Willie Mitchell cut a string of hits with Al Green in the '70s, and Willie's son Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell co-produced the sessions along with Dee Dee and her daughter Tulani Bridgewater. Mitchell pulled together a splendid studio band for this album, including a few members of the old Hi Rhythm Section, and they deliver a superb set of soulful grooves, at once swampy and emphatic, with John Stoddart's electric piano, Jackie Clark's bass, and James "Bishop" Sexton's drums generating just the right amount of funk. With a top-shelf soul band cooking behind her, Dee Dee Bridgewater steps up as a top-shelf soul singer, smooth when she should be, good and gritty when she wants to be, and sounding tough, passionate, and firmly in command at all times... Dee Dee Bridgewater strips off some of the polish from her style on Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready without betraying her talent or best musical instincts, and this detour into Soul City is a treat that should please her fans, as well as anyone who digs Southern soul.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yes, I'm Ready" | Barbara Mason | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Giving Up" | Van McCoy | 4:55 |
| 3. | "I Can't Get Next to You" | Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield | 5:16 |
| 4. | "Going Down Slow" | St. Louis Jimmy Oden | 4:45 |
| 5. | "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" | Roebuck Staples | 4:36 |
| 6. | "B.A.B.Y." | Isaac Hayes, David Porter | 4:04 |
| 7. | "The Thrill Is Gone" | Rick Ravon Darnell, Roy Hawkins | 5:38 |
| 8. | "The Sweeter He Is" | Isaac Hayes, David Porter | 6:45 |
| 9. | "I Can't Stand the Rain" | Donald Maurice Bryant, Bernard Miller, Ann Peebles | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Don't Be Cruel" | Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley | 4:40 |
| 11. | "Hound Dog" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | 3:38 |
| 12. | "Try a Little Tenderness" | James Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Harry Woods | 5:25 |
| 13. | "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" | Thomas A. Dorsey, Sobie Frank Frazier, Jeff Majors | 4:18 |
| Total length: | 1:02:03 | ||
Personnel
Band
- Dee Dee Bridgewater – liner notes, producer, vocals
- Jackie Clark – bass
- Marc Franklin – trumpet
- Garry Goin – guitar
- Charles Hodges – organ (hammond)
- Lannie McMillan – sax (tenor)
- Lawrence Mitchell – cymbals, electric bongos, tambourine
- Sharisse Norman – vocals (background)
- Candise Rayborn-Marshall – vocals (background)
- James Sexton – drums
- Kirk Smothers – sax (tenor)
- Stax Music Academy – vocals (background)
- Kameron Whalum – trombone
- Kevin Whalum – vocals (background)
- Kirk Whalum – sax (baritone), sax (tenor), producer
- John Stoddart – associate producer, keyboards, vocal arrangement
Production
- Rachel Ashley – photography
- Tulani Bridgewater Kowalski – art direction, cover art, photography, producer
- Thomas Brodin – design
- Ted Jensen – engineer
References
- ^ "Dee Dee Bridgewater: Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ Waring, Charles. "Memphis…Yes, I'm Ready (*** OKeh)". Record Collector. recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Dee Dee Bridgewater – Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ McKergow, Mark (November 23, 2017). "CD REVIEW: Dee Dee Bridgewater – Memphis… Yes, I'm Ready". London Jazz News. londonjazznews.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ Harris, George W. (September 28, 2017). "Dee Dee Bridgewater: Memphis…Yes, I'm Ready". jazzweekly.com. Jazz Weekly. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ Murph, John (22 August 2017). "Q&A with Dee Dee Bridgewater: Memories of Memphis". DownBeat. downbeat.com. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Dee Dee Bridgewater: Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.