DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER Vinyl & CDs

Review: Before she made a name for herself with a string of killer disco, jazz-funk and fusion records in the late '70s and early '80s, Dee Dee Bridgewater was a rising star on the global jazz underground. This period of her career is best exemplified by 1974 debut album "Afro Blue", a fine vocal jazz album recorded in Tokyo with a backing band made up of husband Cecil (a top trumpeter) and high-quality Japanese session musicians. As this reissue proves, the album has lost none of its allure. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the breezy soul-jazz shuffle of opener "Afro Blue" and the emotive "Blues Medley", to the superb slowed-down jazz cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and blissful "People Make The World Go Round".

Review: The soulful title track to her album of the same name, "Bad For Me" is remixed here with a bit more flair by Larry Levan! The tune skips along at a really upbeat little pace, not really club but with more of a boogie flavour overall and it's backed by a mellower number with some jazzy George Duke production!

Review: Elektra repress with original artwork of Womack & Womack's 'Baby I'm Scared Of You'.
with Dee Dee Bridgewater's 'Sweet Rain (In A One Night Love Affair)' on the b-side.