Acklin, Barbara

Band members               Related acts

- Barbara Acklin (RIP 1999) - vocals

 

 

 - Barbara Allen

 

Genre: soul

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Love Makes a Woman

Company: Brunswick

Catalog: BL 754137

Year: 1968

Country/State: Chicago, Illinois

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: minor ring wear; small cut out hole

Available: SOLD

GEMM catalog number: SOLD

Price: SOLD

Co-produced by Carl Davis and Eugene Record, 1968's "Love Makes a Woman" remains a curiosity to me.  Widely regarded as one of Acklin's best albums, to my ears the set's a mild disappointment.  Musically the album's certainly highly commercially serving as a nice showcase for Acklin's great voice.  Also noteworthy, Acklin was credited with penning three of the songs including the best effort on the LP -  'Please Sunrise Please'.  Unfortunately, Davis and Record badly misjudged Acklin's strengths in surrounding her with a disproportionate number of MOR efforts.  Geez, what were they thinking giving her two Bacharach-David numbers to cover?  Tracks such as 'Come And See Me Baby' and 'I've Got You Baby' made it clear that Acklin was more than capable of handling hardcore soul and R&B, but too often the results sounded like something out of the Dionne Warwick catalog.  Anyone doubting those comments need only listen to 'What The World Needs Now Is Love', her cover of 'The Look Of Love', or 'Come and See Me' (where she actually sounds a little bit like Warwick.  What a waste of talent.  Elsewhere the title track b/w 'Come and See Me Baby' (Brunswick catalog number 55379) provided Acklin with her first top-20 pop hit. In turn the parent album proved a substantial R&B hit, as well as her only brush with pop chart success (# 186). (Always loved the metallic outfit Acklin was wearing on the cover...)

"Love Makes a Woman" track listing:

(side 1)
1.) What The World Needs Now Is Love  (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) - 2:25
2.) The Look Of Love   (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) -2:23 
3.) The Old Matchmaker   (Eugene Record - Barbara Acklin) - 2:54
4.) Come And See Me Baby   (Eugene Record) - 2:47
5.) I've Got You Baby   (James Cleveland - Karl Tarleton) - 2:14
6.) Love Makes A Woman   (Carl Davis - Eugene Record - William Sanders) - 2:49

 

(side 2)

1.) Please Sunrise Please   (Eugene Record - Barbara Acklin) - 2:50
2.) Your Sweet Loving   (B. Butler) - 2:37
3.) Yes I See The Love (I Missed)   (Eugene Record) - 2:34
4.) To Sir With Love   (Marc Loudon - Don Black) - 2:24
5.) Be By My Side   (Eugene Record - Barbara Acklin) - 2:36

 

 

Genre: soul

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Someone Else's Arms

Company: Brunswick

Catalog: BL 754156

Year: 1970

Country/State: Chicago, Illinois

Grade (cover/record): G/VG

Comments: split spine; some ring wear; small cut out hole; original inner sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog number: 4108

Price: $20.00

 

 Critics tend to slam 1970's Carl David and Eugene Record produced "Someone Else's Arms".  While there's some merit to those criticisms, the album isn't all that different than her previous Brunswick efforts, meaning it contains a couple of outstanding tracks that are unfortunately surrounded by way too much fluff.  To my ears the big problem here remains Brunswick's desire to market Acklin as a pop performer.  Surrounding her with faceless, over-orchestrated pop crapola like 'Is It Me', 'Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)' and 'More (Theme from Mondo Cane)' simply did nothing to showcase her considerable talents.  Acklin was far more impressive when she stuck to more soul-oriented material such as the self-penned 'Someone Else's Arms' and 'After You'.  In fact if you want to hear how good she sounds when she toughens up, check out the rock guitar propelled 'What's It Gonna Be'.  Unfortunately, for every standout track you've got to put up with something like 'The Spinning Wheel'.  Certainly a mixed success, but like most of her catalog, worth hunting for.

"Someone Else's Arms" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Someone Else's Arms   (Barbara Acklin - Eugene Records) - 4:16

2.) After You   (Barbara Acklin - Eugene Records) - 2:30

3.) Is It Me   (Barbara Acklin - Eugene Records) - 3:41

4.) Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)   (Antonio Carlos Jobim - Gene Lees) - 3:37

5.) What's It Gonna Be   (Jerry Ragavoy - Mort Shuman) - 3:32

5.) More (Theme from Mondo Cane)   (Ritz Ortolani - Nino Oliviero) - 3:11

 

(side 2)

1.) He's Just a Little Guy   (Barbara Acklin - Eugene Records) - 4:57

2.) More Today Than Yesterday   (Pat Upton) - 3:18

3.) The Spinning Wheel   (David Clayton-Thomas) - 3:30

4.) More Ways Than On   (Carl Davis - Eugene Record) - 3:40

5.) You've Been In Love Too Long   (William Stevenson - Ivy Joe Hunter - Paul Clarence) - 3:02

 

 

 

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