Tracks : 1 Something So Right (5:24) 2 Tears On My Pillow (4:00) 3 Love Without Sex (4:50) 4 Mr. Everything (3:42) 5 Iron Woman (4:12) 6 Damn' Right It's Good (4:00) 7 Let Nature Take Its Course (3:30) 8 I've Got Nothing To Lose But The Blues (4:42)
Sexy soul from the great Gwen McCrae -- a key follow-up to her massive Rockin Chair,
and an album that showed that she could go a lot deeper than just pop
soul! Given Gwen's contribution to the early disco years, the record's
got a surprisingly laidback feel -- classic female southern soul at its
best, with a number of tracks that hit a great sort of late nite,
lovelorn sort of mode -- almost like some of Ann Sexton's work from the
time. Other tunes pick up the groove a bit more, but still go for more
of a funky soul sort of style than a disco one -- and all tracks really
make the best use of Gwen's deep soul vocals. Clarence Reid wrote most
of the material.
Review : Miami soul songstress Gwen McCrae never scored another huge hit after 1975's "Rockin Chair," but she did continue to make fine soul recordings through the end of the decade. One of the best of them is 1976's Something So Right.
While it lacks an obvious hit single, this album is a solid, soulful
showcase for McCrae's vocals. Her style retains the emotional
earthiness needed to truly connect with her listeners. A good example
of her style arrives with her performance on the title track, the cover
of a Paul Simon classic, which balances an
elegant and controlled delivery on the verses with a more emotional
delivery on the chorus. She also displays a brassy sense of authority
on dance-oriented numbers like "Mr. Everything" and "Iron Woman." Something So Right further benefits from Clarence Reid and Steve Alaimo's
smooth production, which keeps a solid groove rolling as it sweetens
the sound with yearning string arrangements. They also apply a creative
touch to the album's cover versions: for instance, the classic Little Anthony doo wop tune "Tears on My Pillow" is transformed into a elegant ballad that gives McCrae room to throw in Millie Jackson-styled spoken interjections. The downside of Something So Right
is that it favors track-to-track consistency over the kind of songs
that would connect with a larger audience: this makes it likely that
this album will remain a cult item. That said, anyone with a yen for
1970s soul will find plenty to enjoy on Something So Right. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
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