Lost In Tyme Blog

Frequently compared to Aretha Franklin, singer Margie Joseph earned neither the fame nor the critical success lavished upon the Queen of Soul, but a series of excellent records for Atlantic during the 1970s nevertheless won her a spot in the pantheon of soul cult favorites.

A great second generation southern soul singer who really helped the label find a new sound in the 70s! Margie got her start on Stax, but she sounds even better here -- a bit more mature, slightly more urban.

Producer Freddy Briggs took the helm for Joseph's , "Your Sweet Loving"; released in the summer of 1970, the single proved a minor RB chart hit. The following year, she cracked the RB Top 40 with a cover of the Supremes' classic "Stop In the Name of Love," boosting sales of her fine debut LP, Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression, in the process.

Tracks
1. Monologue: Women Talk
2. Stop! In the Name of Love
3. Punish Me
4. Medicine Bend
5. Come Tomorrow
6. Sweeter Tomorrow
7. Same Thing
8. How Beautiful the Rain
9. I'm Fed Up
10. Make Me Believe You'll Stay
11. Temptation's About to Take Your Love

Like some of Stax's product from this era, there's a Stax-meets-Motown air to much of the material. Although Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression was cut in Memphis and Muscle Shoals, some orchestral and vocal overdubs were done in Detroit, perhaps accounting for some of the Motown feel. Makes a New Impression was actually a fair seller, making number 67 on the pop charts and number seven on the soul listings, and containing an extended cover of "Stop! In the Name of Love" that was a small R&B hit.

Briggs transforms "Stop . . . Love," from a whining plea to an awesome deep soul demand, introduced by a no nonsense woman to her man rap; it stretches out ala Issac Hayes into a heart stopping arrangement filled with passionate singing by Joseph, and the backing voices.

Other selections are typical deep soul selections elevated by Joseph's sincere, earthy singing. A rare commodity, Margie's a soul singer that never over sings, or embellish lyrics with vocal tricks. If I could only afford to buy one Margie Joseph album, this would be it, her later sides on Atlantic, and other labels are slicker and not as raw as these tracks. Though, a collaboration she did with Blue Magic "Whats Comes Over Me," rates with anything here.