Gwen McCrae ''Rockin' Chair''

Gwen McCrae

''Rockin' Chair''
( LP Cat Records, 1975 )
Catalog # CAT-2605

Tracklisting:
A1 Rockin' Chair
Producer - Willie Clarke
Written-By - Clarence Reid, W. Clarke
A2 Move Me Baby
Producer - Clarence Reid, H.W. Casey and Richard Finch
Written-By - H.W. Casey, S. Alaimo
A3 He Keeps Something Groovy Goin' On
Written-By - Clarence Reid
A4 Let Them Talk
B1 For Your Love
Producer - Willie Clarke
Written-By - Ed Townsend
B2 It's Worth The Hurt
Written-By - Clarence Reid
B3 90% Of Me Is You
Producer - Willie Clarke
Written-By - Clarence Reid, I. Kitts
B4 It Keeps On Raining
Written-By - Clarence Reid, Sonny Thompson
B5 He Don't Ever Lose His Groove
Written-By - Clarence Reid, Willie Hale

Personnel & Credits:
Arranged By [Strings & Horns] - Mike Lewis
Backing Vocals - Betty Wright , George McCrae, Gwen McCrae, H.W. Casey
Bass - George Perry, Rick Finch, Ron Bogdon
Drums - Freddie Scott , Rick Finch, Robert Furgeson, Robert Johnson
Guitar - Jerome Smith , Joey Murcia, Phillip Wright, Willie "Little Beaver" Hale
Horns - Mike Lewis, Vinny Tano, Whit Sigener
Keyboards - H.W. Casey, Latimore, Timmy Thomas
Producer - Steve Alaimo

Notes:
Format:Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country:US
Released:1975

Review by Donald A. Guarisco (AMG):
This album marked the long-playing debut of Gwen McCrae, a sultry voiced singer who remains popular with soul music cultists today. Rockin' Chair collects the material that she had been recording for the Cat label, a subsidiary of disco giant TK Records. Despite the fact that it was not technically conceived as an album, all the material on Rockin' Chair hangs together nicely: everything here was produced by Miami soul stalwart Steve Alaimo, who strikes an effective balance between silky soul and gospel-tinged funk on all the tracks. The obvious standout is the title tune, a mid-paced invitation to romance that frames McCrae's seductive vocal with stately horns and churning, infectious percussion. The end result is downright hypnotic and it deservedly became a massive hit on both the R&B and pop charts during 1975. None of the remaining tracks are as instantly infectious as the title hit, but they all make for fine listening: "Move Me Baby" is a gently-loping funk jam built on some silky keyboard riffs, and "Your Love Is Worse Than a Cold Love" is a convincing declaration of frustrated passion that gets a gutsy, gospel-tinged treatment from McCrae. Trivia fans will also want to take note that Harry Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band lent a hand on the production of "Move Me Baby." However, the album's unsung gem is "90% Of Me Is You": this hypnotic tune is a grand showcase for McCrae's emotive skills, allowing her to unfold a tale of emotional enslavement over a sleek backing track that balances yearning strings with a moody funk groove. All in all, Rockin' Chair is an exciting collection that will appeal to any fans of 1970s soul.

By Pier