Just A Matter Of Time Marlena Shaw

• 1 It's Better Than Walkin' Out 04:22
• 2 Brass Band 03:40
• 3 This Time I'll Be Sweeter 04:57
• 4 Think About Me 04:31
• 5 You And Me 03:58
• 6 Love Has Gone Away 04:52
• 7 Sing To Me 04:02
• 8 Take My Body 04:52
• 9 Be For Real 04:59
• 10 No Hiding Place 02:14
• Total Runtime 42:27

Info for Just A Matter Of Time

„She was their first female artist, but Blue Note Records didn't have a clue on how to record or promote Marlena Shaw. Her two Cadet albums are more satisfying than any of her five Blue Note sets. This is her most commercial Blue Note offering, as she was dropped after Who Is This Bitch Anyway, an aptly titled album given that Marlena constantly bickered with Blue Note about the minuscule sales of three previous albums. Marlena craved a hit, something she hadn't experienced since 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' made the R&B charts in 1967 on Cadet Records. Blue Note hired R&B producers Bert DeCoteaux and Tony Silvester to make it happen, but it never did; only the disco-ish 'It's Better Than Walking Out' surfaced. 'Be for Real' (Not the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song) and 'No Hiding Place' owe more to gospel than anything, but they're weak and uninspiring, and 'Brass Band' is silly. The best of the bunch include a remake of the Spinners' 'Love Has Gone Away,' 'This Time I'll Be Sweeter,' and the lilting 'You and Me.' (Andrew Hamilton)

By the time she recorded Just A Matter Of Time, her final Blue Note album, Marlena Shaw was a consistent performer, building a strong base among Soul and Jazz fans thanks to what would become future classics such as 'Woman Of The Ghetto' and 'California Soul.' With production by noted New York hitmaker Bert DeCoteaux, the album was the follow-up to her much-acclaimed 1975 LP, Who is This Bitch, Anyway? A best-selling US charted jazz album, Just A Matter Of Time included the upstate New York-born vocalist's take on 'This Time I'll Be Sweeter', her own, 'No Hidin' Place'; Frederick Knight's 'Be For Real'; and 'Love Has Gone Away,' previously recorded by The Spinners. One of the standout cuts on the album, 'It's Better Than Walkin' Out' also provided a historic first for the prestigious Blue Note label when a 12' Disco single version was issued, reaching the Top 10 on Billboard's Dance Music and Club Play charts in 1976; it's included as a bonus cut on this expanded edition. (SoulMusic)

Marlena Shaw, vocals
George Butcher, keyboards
Ricky Williams, keyboards
Bert De Coteaux, keyboards, arranger
Jerry Friedman, guitar
Hugh McCracken, guitar
Jeff Mironov, guitar
Lance Quinn, guitar
Bob Babbitt, bass
Jimmy Young, drums
Carlos Martin, conga
Dave Carey, percussion
Ted Sommer, percussion

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Mediasound Studios, New York, N.Y., February, 1976
Produced by Bert DeCoteaux, Tony Silvester

Digitally remastered

Marlena Shaw
While everyone agrees that Marlena Shaw is a national treasure, it’s difficult to categorize her. Both Downbeat and Record World have named her “Best Female Singer,” and many have compared her range, class and swing that of to eternal jazz lights like Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson. She’s also been called a “soul legend.” The critics use words like “astonishing,” “peerless,” “radiant” and “powerful,” and marvel at her “soaring sensuality.”

Given her 40-year plus boundary-busting career, such labeling confusion is inevitable. It’s easier and more descriptive to think of Marlena as a natural element: like water. Marlena’s music is unmistakable. Whether she’s singing jazz, R&B, pop, rock, soul, blues or gospel, her originality makes such distinctions irrelevant, and each song becomes intimate and new.

Marlena is universally admired for her warm, supple voice and relaxed charm; a natural storyteller, her spoken words before, during, and between songs is often hilarious. Marlena’s smiling; spontaneous interplay with both her band and her audience invites the listener in like a valued friend.

Using the experience she received with the Count Basie Band, Marlena has become a favorite singer for big bands. Witness her work with Frank Foster at Lincoln Center and with Diva. But despite her long experience, there’s no slickness or pretense in Marlena’s style. Communicating directly from her heart and soul to yours, her undiminished creative vitality has no artificial ingredients. Like water – or a welcome breath of fresh air – Marlena is an all-natural element.

This album contains no booklet.