DESCRIPTION:
Freda Payne was one of the great female soul singers of the early '70s -- her voice was powerful enough to rank highly among her contemporaries, but what set her apart was her daring material, its consistency, and the wonderful, ambitious production given her by the Invictus label.
As her biggest hits suggest, Payne pushed the subject material of soul further: "Band of Gold" dealt with a marriage falling apart because of male impotence; "Bring the Boys Home" was an anti-Vietnam protest song. This hints at what's covered on the rest of her albums for Invictus, What's remarkable is how Payne and her team of writers sound fearless throughout these recordings, pushing the boundaries of contemporary soul forward -- even if the songs don't cover new thematic ground, or are merely good generic pieces, there's something in the arrangement, production, or performance that elevates it above its peers.