Although Kim Weston is primarily regarded as a Motown artist, the very fact she by no means launched a solo album throughout nigh-on 4 years at Hitsville USA means that the corporate didn’t fairly see her that method – and nor did she, maybe. Throughout her prime, Kim by no means stopped wherever lengthy: two albums at MGM, one at Folks, and one duet album every at Motown and Banyan Tree represented her long-playing output within the 60s and 70s. Oh, and there’s this 1970 album recorded for Stax, Kim Kim Kim – fascinating and soulful, however ignored.
She knew her price
By the point she arrived at Stax, Weston’s fame was previous its peak. One in every of Motown’s best voices, her expertise was not matched by her success. She hit with the exhilarating “It Takes Two” alongside Marvin Gaye in late 1966/early ’67, and two of her solo singles, “Helpless” and ʻTake Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little Whereas),” had been among the many best Motown data of the mid-60s, but nonetheless did not dent the US High 50. She had expertise, however Motown didn’t take advantage of it – or, at the least, didn’t market it correctly. Weston knew her price, nevertheless, falling out with the label over royalties and heading to MGM together with her husband, Motown author, producer, and A&R man Mickey Stevenson. Two albums later, together with the curious, partially flag-waving MOR tour This Is America, she was out of contract once more.
Weston’s eventual arrival at Stax after recording for Motown was uncommon, however not distinctive: Mable John had preceded her, and had made a long-awaited chart breakthrough with “Your Good Thing Is About To End,” her first launch for the Memphis label. Swing balladeer Billy Eckstine made the identical journey, however in a close to 40-year recording profession, it will have been stunning if he hadn’t as a result of he’d labored all over the place else. The query was, might Kim Weston lastly shake off her lack of success by heading south to Memphis?
Pure soul music: heat and glowing
Working with producers Al Bell (Stax’s boss and earthly overseer of The Staple Singers), Clarence Paul (key to Stevie Marvel’s late-teens 60s revival), and Isaac Hayes (The Man) ought to have helped break Kim’s curse. Kim Kim Kim is pure soul music: heat, heartfelt, and glowing. Nevertheless it was not terribly industrial. It’s noteworthy that Hayes didn’t compose any songs for the album, which is like getting Charles Dickens to design a e book jacket with out writing a phrase. The one tune together with his writing credit score is the previous Sam & Dave hit “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby,” among the best tracks on Kim Kim Kim and absolutely a touch to artist, producer, and government producer, Mickey Stevenson. However all involved had been clearly critical about Weston’s arrival on Stax’s Volt imprint, even allocating a emblem to the album that proudly declared it a part of the “Mikim Series” – ie Mickey and Kim. It’s sadly telling that this was the one album to return out beneath that banner.
Kim Kim Kim’s opening monitor, “You Just Don’t Know,” has an orchestrated intro that instantly informs you simply how enormous it will sound. The singing is wonderful; there’s a imprecise resemblance to Yvonne Elliman’s “Stay With Me Baby,” however no sense that Kim is straining. The kitchen sink is thrown on the association and also you’d by no means mistake this for background music. “The Love I’ve Been Looking For” performs the identical trick whereas dialing issues again a bit, although Kim continues to be astonishingly highly effective.
Leon Ware and Vicki Basemore’s story of a life maturing, “What Could Be Better,” is calmer, although the orchestras and reach-for-the-skies vocal refrain of earlier tracks continues to be right here. “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby” kicks off with a big-band blues really feel, strips down for the verses, and clothes up once more for the refrain. It’s fuller than Sam & Dave’s model, however smaller than its predecessors on the album. Weston, after all, sings it impeccably.
Excellent early 70s soul music
By now a extra dramatic change of tone known as for, and it arrives with the uptempo “Love Vibrations,” a rolling, bass-driven, 60s-styled dancer with echoing, psychedelic soul-style guitar. Additional groove kicks in on “Soul On Fire,” a phonky blues extra suited to Betty Harris or Ann Sexton, say, than Kim’s extra uptown voice, and the message track “Brothers And Sisters (Get Together),” which options brass like elephants trumpeting and a deep lowdown groove – Norman Whitfield’s affect looms giant on this minimize.
In whole distinction, “Buy Myself A Man” is delicate, soulful, and surprisingly touching, as Kim confesses that her live-in lover is sleeping on the ground somewhat than sharing her mattress, and goals of retail remedy because the supply of a loving fella. The monitor has a distinctly Chicago really feel, like one thing Barbara Acklin might need delivered, and the identical applies to the tender model of Solomon Burke’s “Got To Get You Off My Mind.” That is excellent early 70s soul music.
A connection to Weston’s current previous caused among the best tunes right here, penned by psych-pop songwriter Toby Ben, whom Mickey Stevenson had signed to MGM and Clarence Paul had produced. Kim sings her coronary heart out on her superior minimize of his “Penny Blues,” a torchy waltz ballad of laborious instances, accompanied by harm harmonica and hanging strings. The album closes with a lush slice of gospel, “The Choice Is Up To You (Walk With Me Jesus),” which has a slight air of the period’s Diana Ross, with, once more, hovering backing vocals akin to The Andantes.
Extremely spirited and shifting
Kim Kim Kim proved a blended blessing. It’s totally a soul report, however blended up its kinds considerably, somewhat than aiming at one market. Kim Weston was maybe in the appropriate place on the unsuitable time: if Isaac Hayes hadn’t been targeted on his personal burgeoning profession, if The Staple Singers weren’t about to make their large industrial breakthrough, absorbing a number of Al Bell’s consideration, who is aware of what might need occurred?
What did occur was a scattering of singles for Stax, releases slowing to a halt within the 70s, and no additional Kim Weston releases till Ian Levine produced her on the 1987 hi-NRG basic “Signal Your Intention,” which confirmed that her soul chops had been totally intact.
Kim ought to have been a lot larger. Kim Kim Kim might have finished so significantly better, for need of a extra particular course. Maybe protecting too many bases and relying too closely on her wonderful voice to tug them collectively, it’s however extremely spirited and shifting. And that’s soul.
