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Nowadays when someone talks about
soul or R & B, you can bet your sweet bippy that, while any
examples proffered do bear a slavish relationship to the superficial
mannerisms of the classic black styles, the crucial elements of
performance… soul, rhythm and blues are almost invariably
absent.
The reason for this is quite simple….the long years of apprenticeship
required, be it sweating night after night in spontaneous communion
with live performing musicians or endless practice in church choirs
in order to hone the fruits of African tradition, are not only
very messy, they’re downright uneconomic. The result is the
legions of cardboard cutout stars who can imitate a song but are
cut off from spontaneity and rhythm…the elements of performance
that drew dancing minds or mindful dancers to the music in the
first place.
Well, the late Marvin Gaye certainly deserved the epithet
“great”, not because of a string of hit records, but
because of the dues he paid, honing his talent in gospel choirs,
as member of the Moonglows and finally as a touring artist.
Live In Miami (MasterSong) is from a concert recorded by
Marvin in the late 70’s and features all the elements that
keep his name resonating almost two decades after he was shot
dead by his father…not only the crooning intensity that flagged
the singer’s marketability as a sexual idol, but also the
playful poetry of his inspirations that run the gamut from punchy
two-fisters to soul ballads to hard edged blues.
Many of the singer’s greatest songs are featured here including
a superlative version of Let’s Get It On, How Sweet It
Is, or the closer Inner City Blues. Backed by a large
band of seasoned soul veterans who sympathetically follow Marvin’s
every move, this record is highly recommended for all fans, even
for those who own versions of all the songs. The transfer to CD
format is also very good, even if the sound is a little faint,
due no doubt to the contemporary obsession with removing all trace
of crackle and hiss.RJ Feb 2003
