Lynn White (Retrospective)
Daddy B. Nice's #73 ranked Southern Soul Artist
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Lynn White (Retrospective)Daddy B. Nice's #73 ranked Southern Soul Artist |
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"Take Your Time" Lynn White (Retrospective) Composed by Ike Darby and Willie Mitchell Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:See and hear Lynn White's long out-of-print classic, "Take Your Time," on YouTube. Before there was a "Slow Roll It," before there was a Sir Charles Jones composing and The Love Doctor singing, "Stroke it with the motion," there was Lynn White and her crowning achievement as the chitlin' circuit's purveyor of country soul, "Take Your Time (And Love Me Right)."
The truth is that Lynn White's output through the R&B-hostile late 80's and early 90's, unappreciated and under-exposed as it was, blazed the path over which countless R&B musicians would forge their careers a decade later. White's clear-as-fine-china vocals and her choice of material made her the chitlin' circuit's female counterpart of Z.Z. Hill and--after his death--one of the last surviving practitioners (along with J. Blackfoot and a few others) of a blues that wasn't afraid to be "country". "Only the strong survive," as Jerry Butler once said, and one has to give White enormous credit for being there first. "Take Your Time," from the CD Take Your Time (Mms, 1995), is anchored by a powerful bass line and a mesmerizing percussion that from its opening pulse tells you this track is bound to succeed. The guitar work has just the right touch of precision and restraint, and the vocal by Lynn White is so accomplished and unique, yet seemingly unconcerned with drawing attention to itself, that the sum total of musical elements prove almost too good to be true. As the melody wends on, R&B fans will grow almost fuzzy with pleasure. The track recalls tunes from the Elvis era, when songs of simplicity and directness were common, and the boundaries between soul, blues and country were blurred by the artistic cross-pollination in the air. "I'm built for comfort, And not for speed. Take your time and love me, And I'll give you what I need." You could say "Take Your Time" takes you all the way back to Southern Soul's Garden of Eden. And it is by no means Lynn White's only significant accomplishment. "Lonely Woman On The Loose," which White recorded on various LP's over the years, never grows old. The song is reminiscent of the steamy sensuality of early Dionne Warwick. While gritty "shouters" like Barbara Carr, Denise LaSalle, and Peggy Scott-Adams forged the "rough" side of the new soul, White represents a vital link back to the equally important "sensitive" side: the lineage of seminal R&B artists like Barbara Lewis, Ann Peebles and Diana Ross. *************** See "Tidbits" below for the latest updates on Lynn White. To automatically link to the chart positions of Lynn White's singles, go to "White, Lynn" in Daddy B. Nice's Comprehensive Index. ************** --Daddy B. Nice About Lynn White (Retrospective) Lynn White was born in Mobile, Alabama on August 6, 1953. She took the customary path from singing gospel as a child to an R&B career that began in the late 70's. One of her singles came to the attention of Memphis-based Willie Mitchell (of Al Green fame) in the early 80's. He re-issued White's "I Don't Ever Want To See Your Face Again" on Waylo Records, beginning a collaboration that produced a series of creditable adult R&B albums through the late 80's.
Song's Transcendent Moment "I haven't felt this good
Tidbits 1.December 8, 2006. Lynn White'sIn the meantime, two Lynn White compilation albums have come into circulation. The first 2.February 26, 2007. Still only two Lynn White CD's in print. This is a deplorable situation, and one can only hope it is rectified by some astute label. White's position as a female Southern Soul pioneer is assured. Open the vault and release the material; Southern Soul fans will buy it. DBN.3.Did You Know? . . . That Ms. Jody covered Lynn White's "Back In The Streets Again" as the title tune of her new 2010 album?4.June 1, 2010: Author's ForwardI just heard one of my favorite deejays play the Lynn White-Willie Clayton duet, "Slow And Easy" and was bowled over by its swinging sound. It brought me back to the Mobile-born diva whose time in the sun--unfortunately--was the obscure nineties, when Southern Soul was just the faintest gleam in the eye of the music business. Lynn's work was ahead of its time, even though it sounded--at the time--retro (Peebles' covers and so on). The Deep South diva's material remains mostly out of print, but I have inserted as many sound samples as possible (including "used" albums) to help today's consumers catch up on one of Southern Soul's early pillars of strength. DBN If You Liked. . . You'll Love If you loved Minnie Riperton's sunny 70's classic, "Lovin' You," you're going to like Lynn White's "Take Your Time."
Honorary "B" Side "Lonely Woman On The Loose" |
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