Linda Lewis

I have mentioned before that my record buying habits seem to fall into odd trends and patterns and as I have been trying to move out of the Krsna rock thing, I seem to be moving into a black ladies with afros phase. Saw this Linda Lewis Heartsrtrings LP in a Goodwill. Reprise 1974. Looked a little cheesey, but it also looked like one of those records you see later in a speciality shop for $20. So I rolled the dice.
Her voice is pretty high and almost Mike Jacksony at times. Maybe even a little like Macy Gray or India.Aria or something. Songs all had good grooves, not discoy, but not straight ahead funk either. She mixes up some genres and delivers a unique experience -a little Stevie Wonder influence. "i'm in love again" is the stand out track on side one. "Reach for the Truth" comes in second and has a nice double time section at the end that is worth the wait. "Rock a Doodle Do" opens up side 2 with a great groove and Linda singing the verse in a low voice and then coming in high on the chorus. Great song. "On the Stage" has a nice flute groove and a very 70s sound. "Safe and Sound" is a soul power ballad that should be on those "babies making babies" mixtapes or on your personal booty jams tape. Something about this song makes me thinks of Oasis "live forever", Don't know what it is, but it is good. She finishes it off with "I dunno" which has a kind of steel drum/"lowrider" groove. The opening bars are ready to get plucked and sampled. This record seems to be a comp of songs from 2 earlier records. Check her out she has her own website and is on myspace. Still going strong
This was a dollar well spent and I will be tracking down her other records.