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Album Review: Minnie Riperton - 'Les Fleurs - The Anthology' (Stateside)
Minnie Ripperton has seen somewhat of a revival in recent times, due in no small part to West London broken beat pioneers 4
Hero. Re-working two of her songs (to be precise, one was a re-working of a version by US soulful dance dons Masters at
Work), both of which appear on this album, 4 Hero succeeded in opening a lot of new ears to her
work and blew up many a dancefloor in the process. Comprising 15 songs recorded between 1971 and 1980, this album album
borrows tracks from her time both as part of Rotary Connection, and as a solo artist.
'Black Gold' (4 Hero track no. 1) is a
gospel-tinged masterpiece which starts softly and builds and builds into a
prolonged crescendo teeming with uplifting female voices and touches of rock guitar, over the top of a downtempo funk beat.
'Inside My Love' will be recognised by hip hop lovers as the break behind A Tribe Called Quest's 'Lyrics To Go', with its
swooping strings, delectable keyboard playing, touches of percussion, and Ripperton hitting and holding the high notes for
an unfeasibly long time. 'Lovin' You'...is easy 'cos you're beautiful! This is by far the most famous song on the album, and
requires no description. 'Les Fleur' (4 Hero track no. 2) starts out, again, with a low-key lolloping funk beat, but soon
explodes into a big drum and brass extravaganza replete with inspirational soaring strings and high-pitched female voices
belting out the chorus. The final track, Light My Fire, is a lovely take on the much-covered Doors anthem, with charming
multi-lingual flirtation between Jose Feliciano and Ripperton.
There's a serious feel-good spirit permeating this music, an
eloquent happiness which will nourish your soul.
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RELATED LINKS:
Minnie Riperton website
4 Hero website
Buy album at Amazon.co.uk
PUBLISHED: Thursday 15 October 2002
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::: RELATED LINKS
Minnie Riperton website
4 Hero website
Buy album at Amazon.co.uk
More Reviews
|
