Joseph’s third for Atlantic re-finds the funk

Soul singer Margie Joseph’s third album for Atlantic, originally released in 1975, revisited the funkier bottom end of her 1973 label debut (confusingly titled Margie Joseph). Where 1974’s Sweet Surrender had smoothed out the R&B grooves and nosed its way towards disco’s rhythms, this new set offered more grit on the upbeat numbers and deeper soul on the ballads. Arif Mardin continued in the producer’s chair, and the song list was again constructed with a large dose of covers and a pair of originals. Joseph and Mardin’s “Sign of the Times” opens the album with P Funk-styled synthesizer and plucked bass, and a melody that anticipates a seamless segue into Carole King’s “Believe in Humanity.” Both songs offer up early-70s social spirituality in their lyrics. A cover of King’s “After All This Time” appears later on the album, transitioning smoothly from a softer mid-tempo to a beefier soul shout as the strings and percussion start and stop for emphasis. “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh” is taken at a slow tempo, drawn out and more worn down than Bill Withers’ original, while “Who Gets Your Love,” is given a lighter treatment than Dusty Springfield’s earlier version. Joseph gets a chance to scat briefly at the end of “Promise Me Your Love,” unfortunately just in time for the fade, and the album closes with a cover of “I Can’t Move No Mountains” that’s decidedly more urban than Blood, Sweat & Tears earlier horn-lined release. Many of Joseph’s fans vote this as their favorite of her releases. It’s more sophisticated and less brash than her label debut, which is a plus or minus depending on your preference for polish over roots. What this album makes clear is that Joseph was maturing as an artist, and her pairing with Mardin, which ended with this album, had developed over the course of their three albums together. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]