Rita Coolidge Albums (16)
What The Critics Say
It seems increasingly common for once-popular artists to resurface years after their heyday. What's so interesting is how they resurface. Who would've imagined Rita Coolidge, like other popular '70s singers, re-emerging 30 years down the line as a singer of jazz classics? But Coolidge, like Debby Boone before her, has done exactly that, releasing a collection of classic songs on Concord Records. Backed by a small jazz combo, And So Is Love has a classy feel to it, but it's Coolidge's resonant vocals that bring the set together. While most of the material is older, and a number of pieces like "Cry Me a River" and "Come Rain or Come Shine" come from the golden age of song, she also includes Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone" and makes it work. In fact, "We're All Alone" is one of the highlights of the album, with Coolidge transforming it into a lovely jazz standard. Her performance here also leads one to pause: are there other songs of recent vintage that would -- like old standards -- work just as well in a jazz context? Another icon from the past shows up -- Herb Alpert -- on "Estate" to lend his trademark trumpet style to the song's Latin mood. For old fans, mainstream jazz fans, and anyone who appreciates classy treatments of classic songs, Coolidge's And So Is Love is an enjoyable listen. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
'Thinkin' About You'
Release Date 3/17/1998
Tracks 11
Label 404 Music Group
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Even though the duo-tone cover looks new and jazzy, most of this cozy set was recorded over twenty years ago. Primarily working with bass, drum and piano, the smoky-voiced chanteuse delivers these eleven songs with her own inimitably laidback vigor, performing best on moody ballads such as "Am I Blue," "Mean To Me" and "The Man I Love." Some of these tracks have appeared on Rita's albums during her A&M Records tenure in the 1970s, but most of them remained in the vault until now. It's a fine set with simple arrangements of chestnuts such as "Bring It On Home To Me" and the blues staple "Stormy Monday." Rounding the set out are two recent cuts, the Top 40-ish "When The Night Rolls In" and the bluesy "Out of the Blues." ~ Bill Carpenter, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A comeback album of sorts. After a six-year American recording hiatus, this is the kind of pop there isn't enough of anymore. Duets with Bonnie from Delaney & Bonnie and Lee Greenwood. Fine mix of adult pop ("Heart Don't Fail Me Now"), sophisticated soul ("Nobody but You"), juke blues ("Ain't No Reason") and a little house music on her update of "I Want to Know What Love Is." ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Steve Cropper recording Mitch Ryder and Yvonne Elliman, the great Booker T. Jones and A&M exec David Anderle counter with a shimmering production for Rita Coolidge, emerging from her underground status with Mad Dogs & Englishmen to unleash her fifth Top 40 hit here: Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager's "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love." With an array of fine players, the Delta Lady weaves an album that is up there with Dusty in Memphis, though it never got the similar acclaim, with the stigma of adult contemporary pop not giving this wonderful effort the hip luster it deserves. A breathy and seductive cover of "One Fine Day" is another gem; it was being released by Jimmy and Kristy McNichol and Jane Oliver as well, with songwriter Carole King winning the race in 1980, going Top 15 with the 1963 Chiffons hit she composed. That's OK, titles like Dave Loggins' co-write, "The Fool in Me," and Donna Weiss/Lenny Macaluso's "Trust It All to Somebody" are perfectly structured adult contemporary with more than a touch of the Philly sound created by Gamble & Huff; indeed, "Trust It All to Somebody" could have fit on an album by the O'Jays or the Three Degrees, the strings just needed to be brought up a notch. Donna Weiss, of course, was riding high, having co-written the biggest hit of 1980 with Jackie DeShannon, "Bette Davis Eyes," the inner circle that Yvonne Elliman, Kim Carnes, and Coolidge walked so obvious when one looks at the same players showing up on their respective discs: Mike Utley on keyboards and Jim Keltner on drums (Keltner and Anderle are on 1975's Kim Carnes, Keltner is also on 1977's Night Flight by Elliman). What all this work comprises are the girl groups of the '70s, and it is remarkable stuff. The quasi-disco of Booker T. Jones' "Let's Go Dancin' is acceptable years later as a classy slice of pop that qualifies as art, beyond the trendy KC & the Sunshine Band sign of the times it might appear to be on lesser albums. Johnny Bristol's "Pain of Love" is a dramatic departure from his Supremes hit, "Someday We'll Be Together," for this album contains a more subtle intensity, best displayed in the gorgeous hit. "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" was not her biggest chart record, but it is one of her most triumphant performances. The way Rita Coolidge takes Priscilla Jones' "Sweet Emotion" to a funky, laid-back groove is the genius of the matchup of Booker T. Jones producing Rita Coolidge. It's more of an album for the ages than people realize; "Crime of Passion" and "Can She Keep You Satisfied" are rich with the unique voice of Coolidge and the blend of these first-rate musicians. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
