Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 06/12/2007
One of
R&B's earliest divas,
LaVern Baker could grab hold of a song and belt it out with the best of them, whether she was singing bouncy, up-tempo
rock & roll or bluesy
torch ballads.
Baker's contributions to the rockin' and rollin' wing of '50s
R&B were in a class with
Atlantic labelmates
Ruth Brown and the
Clyde McPhatter-era
Drifters, as the stellar 20-track compilation
Soul on Fire: The Best of LaVern Baker proves.
Baker had a muscular delivery and a commanding personality on record, so much so that her ravishing visual appeal wasn't even necessary (though it certainly didn't hurt). Here she bellows and growls her way through
rock & roll standards like
"Tweedlee Dee" (her first big hit), the oft-covered
"Jim Dandy" (her only
R&B chart-topper), and
"See See Rider," not to mention
Leiber & Stoller's
gospel pastiche
"Saved." But
Baker was equally powerful on her slow numbers, turning in positively smoldering performances on the classics
"Soul on Fire," "Play It Fair," "I Cried a Tear" (her biggest
pop hit), and
"I Waited Too Long," among others.
Baker isn't as much of a household name as she probably ought to be, but
Soul on Fire is required listening for anyone interested in the first waves of
R&B and
rock & roll.
~Steve Huey, All Music Guide
;)
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