rich man's woman
melody maker - november 1975
For more years than it would be polite to recall, Elkie Brooks has been too much of an underground heroine among students of lady rock singers. Now, at long last, she has delivered the album which can shoot her to international acclaim, and establish her, finally, as perhaps the finest rock singer Britain has produced.
Long before Vinegar Joe, itself a fine band, Elkie paid her dues as a jazz singer in various bands, and now the years of experience, together with her unique power, reaches fruition with a simply stunning album.
But power, so often the only asset of lady rockers, is not played up by Elkie to the detriment of her intrinsic bluesy feeling. She has always displayed taste, even as a bawdy rocker, and taste is the hallmark of this immaculately-produced album.
To make it, Elkie went to Los Angeles and received accompaniment from some inspired musicians, and some immensely careful production by Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who have been closely connected with Gladys Knight's records. The result: nine tracks without one duff moment.
The opener, "Where Do We Go From Here (Rich Man's Woman)", is one of five written by Elkie - another aspect of her progression - and gets the album off to a startling momentum. It's a rock track with fine control, and never goes over the top, which could easily have happened; it also has a fine hook-line.
"Roll Me Over" is an example of Elkie's jazz leanings, and "One Step On The Ladder" is a bright commentary on what is happening to her at this moment. "Try A Little Loving" shows her tender songwriting capabilities, as well as her imaginative sense of delivery.
But "Jigsaw Baby" is the absolute high spot on this album. The aforementioned Brooks-written songs come nowhere near this gem - a richly-experienced piece, again autobiographical, with a delightful melody line. Her singing is superb here, and contains the sort of inflections that could only come from an artist grounded in jazz, because the pace of the song is so hard to control.
Leo Sayer's "Tomorrow" gets a vital new treatment, and she has a stab at "He's A Rebel" - an unfortunate choice, but we'll let that one pass. The vocal backings are excellent, and include Clydie King and Venetta Fields plus Jim Gilstrap.
The track record of female rock singers through
the years has been fairly bleak, but this goes a long way to redress the balance. It will stand as one of the finest albums of the year. Patriotism, I know, is the last refuge of the scoundrel, but this time, go and buy British.
At least it was made in the States. Seriously - an exceptional album.
- Ray Coleman
two days away
nme - june 1977
Elkie Brooks is somewhere in her early thirties. Since she set out on a career as a singer at the turn of the last decade she's injected her musical background and knowedge - gospel, blues, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith - into bands led by jazzers Eric Delaney and Humphrey Lyttelton, and sung co-leads in two road show-like rock outfits Dada and Vinegar Joe, both led by hubbie guitarist Pete Gage - the latter with Robert
Palmer.
On "Two Days Away", her second solo album, Elkie rejects her more recent rockin' in favour of returning to her earlier jazz heritage. A giant leap for credibility? To be truthful, I was dreading playing this album. Though the sleeve lacks any campness - it presents a more subtle variant on the Elkie The Fox theme of "Rich Man's Woman", her first solo record, I had awful visions of her doing a Bette Midler, having heard rumours that this was a step back to her jazz background.
Forget about that. This album is done straight. The humour on it is born of warmth. The real clue to the record lies in the musical credits. It's produced by Leiber and Stoller, who also contribute half of the ten songs. It features the New York Horns, the Muscle Shoals Horns, strings, and a host of stellar session names. It was recorded both in London and New York.
It also features Elkie's band - the very large Jean Roussell on keyboards, guitarist Isaac Guillory, the excellent Vinegar Joe bassist Steve York, and drummer Trevor Morais. Not only that, but "Two Days Away" was cut live. From the first, gut-tingling lines of the paced-down "Love Potion No 9", it's obvious that if this level can be kept up then "Two Days Away" will prove to be really classy stuff indeed.
It's an almost stirring, gorgeously tasteful workout of the number, underpinned - for all its M Shoals Horns - by Roussell's sensuous keyboards. Elkie purrs the number out in the kind of textured, torchlit voice reminiscent of the kind of late-night supper clubs where Ella Fitzgerald might have slunk up onstage twenty or so years back.
The mood is continued, with more than mere traces of, say, Dionne Warwick and Aretha, and many, many more. "Spiritland", a pacier track written by Elkie with Pete Gage, is based on a quasi-reggae riff which - and this is a tribute to the way her two producers work - is strengthened rather than negated by the massed horns and back-up vocals. In fact, it's here that you'll probably first realise the way she's working as a band member and also note the empathy that recording live permits not only between her and the band but also between the record and the listener.
"Honey, Can I Put On Your Clothes" makes you remember that it's very dangerous making an album of "mature" love songs unless the vocals are handled with total confidence. Most of the album not only has this confidence but has quite a horny edge to it. See also the next cut, Ellie Greenwhich's "Sunshine After The Rain" - which also affords evidence of her note-juggling talents - and the tastefully lugubrious hit single "Pearl's A Singer".
Though they're held in there by the raunchy New Orleans-ish "Mojo Hannah" and Lieber and Stoller's own equally emotive "Saved", the middle three cuts on side two come across as dissapointingly pedestrian. Just badly chosen, duff material, that's all.
Oh yes, the jazz heritage schtick? Well, not too happy about this record's getting tagged like that, really. I mean, does a "late night feel" have to automatically fit into a jazzier category? No, it's just mainly very powerful, very mature music. And can you think of another British female singer who's currently turning out anything that could be described like that?
- Chris Salewicz
the very best of
york press - april 1997
This digitally remastered compilation of her best tracks, marking the 20th anniversary of Pearl's A Singer hitting the top ten.
The result is superb. No warbling here. Miss Brooks's voice rings out clear as crystal as she belts out classic tracks like Pearl's A Singer, No More The Fool, Don't Cry Out Loud, Nights in White Satin and the brilliant Gasoline Alley.
Miss Brooks is undoubtedly one of the best female singers of this or any generation and the quality of her voice, her power and the ability to put real feeling into her singing make this a marvelous album. Truly amazing!
- Martin Lacy
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