Linda Martell "Color Me Country" 1970

The one and only album from Linda Martell – one of the first African-American women to dip into the genre of country music! The album's got a pretty straight country feel overall – none of the country soul you might hear from deep soul singers of the time – or those later modes that artists like Millie Jackson picked up in the 70s. But the set was also recorded as part of the SSS International family of labels headed by Shelby Singleton – who also cut a fair bit of soul music at the time – often blending modes, musicians, and songs on the Nashville scene of the time. The best example of that approach here is Linda's excellent remake of "Color Him Father" – first made famous by The Winstons – done as a sweet-stepping number with a very different feel than the original. Other tracks include "The Wedding Cake", "Before The Next Teardrop Falls", "Old Letter Song", and "Tender Leaves Of Love".  © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc.Once you get past Charley Pride and Stoney Edwards, you'd be hard-pressed to name an African-American country music star of the '60s and '70s (or any decade, for that matter), but for a brief moment Linda Martell seemed poised to crack two glass ceilings at once. Martell was the first African-American woman to sing on the Grand Ole Opry, and she managed to land two singles in the Country & Western Top 40 in 1969 before she quit the music business to raise a family. Color Me Country was Martell's first and only album, and while it's by no means a lost classic, it's a fine set of songs from a singer who clearly had the talent for bigger things. The set includes Martell's versions of "Color Him Father" and "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," both of which hit the Billboard C&W charts, and her rich, smooth voice does wonders with the Winstons' hit about accepting your new stepdad (which fares well in a subtle C&W arrangement fortified with pedal steel) as well several brokenhearted weepers on board ("I Almost Called Your Name" could almost pass for a classic Patsy Cline number). Martell even displays some credible yodeling skills on the leadoff track, "Bad Case of the Blues," and "There Never Was a Time" is a heart-tugging tale of hard times that shows a strong Merle Haggard influence and shows Martell could handle a broadly emotional tune without sounding sappy or overly theatrical. Martell also had a career as an R&B singer, but Color Me Country clearly aims to sell her to the C&W market, so she doesn't get to show off her soulful side on this set, but as a country vocalist, she was clearly above average, and with better promotion and production (Shelby Singleton, Jr.'s studio skills are average at best), she might have become the female Charley Pride. That was not to be, but Color Me Country makes it clear that wasn't because of a lack of talent, and this is a fascinating and entertaining curio from a forgotten country music pioneer. (Mark Deming, Allmusic)

trax:

01 Bad Case Of The Blues 02 San Francisco Is A Lonely Town 03 The Wedding Cake 04 Tender Leaves Of Love 05 I Almost Called Your Name 06 Color Him Father 07 There Never Was A Time 08 You're Crying Boy, Crying 09 Old Letter Song 10 Then I'll Be Over You 11 Before The Next Teardrop Falls

...Many Thanks to clash for the Linda Martell share! served by Gyro1966...