Soul Fever - Lyons, Marie 'Queenie'

Advantages: Soulful, genuine, funky, rare
Disadvantages: None

...form on this tune which sounds a lot like Repect Yourself, another diamond from this era. Mark: 4/5 YKSMIWSS: "Goddammit! Who is she and what is she to you" **9. Lyn Collins: Give It Up Or Turn It Loose** I like Lyn Collins. I've got a couple of her dusty old albums on vinyl and she hasn't cut a bad tune. Her voice is clear, pronounced and soulful and in the late 60's she was chosen by James Brown to join his "Funky People" collective. The lovely Lyn weighs in here with a cover of a Brown song and pisses on the original. More midtempo, brassy, funky stuff. There's a pattern developing here. Mark: 4/5 YKSMIWSS: "Hold on and squeeze me tight" (oo-er). **10. Marie "Queenie" Lyons: Your Thing Ain't No Good Without My Thing** This is an "answer record" to the Isley Brothers' It's My Thing. Are we getting the "thing" idea now... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Where to begin?
Disadvantages: None

...Although not the only hip-hop soul diva to hail from the harsh surroundings of the Bronx, there is something that sets Mary apart from these others and her latest album has firmly secured her place on the throne in the genre. Gliding her sultry vocals over all of the fifteen tracks with apparent ease, it’s easy to recognize the influence that her mother’s Gladys Knight and Otis Redding records had on her and she takes these stimuli and mixes them with polished and peaceful R’n’B beats. Accompanied by George Michael, Mary takes on the mammoth task of covering Stevie Wonder classic. Many have attempted and failed but together they make 'As' a highlight of this superb album, and a chart hit. Another touching highlight is ‘Your Child’ written about a woman dealing with a man whose illegitimate... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Best album so far
Disadvantages: You tell me!!

...It's 2008 and Mary's not getting caught up in teetering trends. No vocoders and nothing chopped and screwed are present on Growing Pains, only heart felt harmonies of pain, joy and everything in-between. The title suits this project well: this is not only a soundtrack to Mary's heart, but it's also a soundtrack to anyone who has one bit of emotion in there body. Mary has proven since the early '90s to be the queen of hip-hop soul. With most of the music with substance fading nowadays, this is just the remedy that we need. Growing Pains plays like the soundtrack of life, summed up in 16 songs. MJB shows she's back in true form with "Work That." The song is profound and inspirational, two key elements that have been Mary's secret sauce over the years when cooking up her mood music. "Grown Woman," featuring Ludacris, finds Mary flirting... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful