Christoff's Full Review: Perfect Angel by Minnie Riperton
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This is my entry for the “Pop Your Cherry” Write-off. In the hope of expanding the databases of both Epinions and its members, we decided to make round-robin choices for music selections that would be new not just for the particular member, but also, new to the Epinions catalog. Cherry-Popping-Central is located at the member page of repulsemonkey where you’ll find links to the rest of the participants. Thanks for the help, Marty.
Brotherman was randomly selected to pop my cherry, and he did so with this, Minnie Riperton’s, Perfect Angel. Now, I could have ordered the first copy I came across (A $25 Japanese Import), but when it comes to getting popped, I like to be a bit more selective (i.e. cheap). I went to Allmusic.com to get a little background and saw that it was released back in 1974, so the chances were good that I could find it a used record shop. Five shoppes and a whopping $3 later, I found it.
This is one of the greatest benefits of listening to records—availability. Stacks of material that would otherwise be out-of-print are usually procured at a mere fraction of what you’d expect to pay for even a used disc. And since I frequent these joints regularly, I was able to pick up a few other goodies, too.
Is it Live, is it Memorex, or is it Minnie?
Riperton has a voice that approaches the brink of human hearing. In fact, many-o-listen was given before I could completely discern between her (background) intone, and that of the instrumentation. Granted, this partly due to the crystalline production style, but it’s also has to do with her sheer paucity. For what she lacks in force she definitely makes up for in amplitude—not that high-pitched wailing is what we’re all after. Delicately and cleanly, she lays out the vocal as a bird on the wing.
The type of material she covers is a bit restrictive, as it was back in the early seventies (as was one of her contemporaries, Deniece Williams). Still growing out of 60’s R&B/Soul (as evidenced with her backing roles with acts like the Gems), and yet to funk-out with the arrival of disco, Perfect Angel sets nicely in a radio friendly AOR format. Lyrically strong, Riperton (and husband Richard Rudolph) penned 7 of the albums 9 tracks, and is best represented a tune that’s both her claim to fame as well as the ideal showcase of her talent (not to mention one of the best “make-out tunes” ever recorded). I remember this one as a kid and doubt that I’ve heard it much since. It’s a tune whose melody tends to slip from my memory, so I’ll give you a couple of its lines to help jog yours:
Lovin' you—is easy 'cause you're beautiful
Makin' love with you—is all I want to do
Lovin' you—is more than just a dream come true
Everything that I do—is out of lovin' you
La la la la la
La la la la la…
Remember that? I can remember roller-skating to that when I was a young lad. It’d be “Ladies Choice” or even an “All Skate”, and I would just cruise around the edge of the rink—all alone. No biggy I had, what I call, jet-blonde colored hair when I was a kid, and since my mom tended to like “those nice curly locks”, my hairdo tended to be a bit bushy. This all probably explains why the guy at the skate rental counter used to always give me girls skates… Or maybe it was the handle of my Goody comb hanging out the side pocket of my painter’s pants… Or the Hi-Karate aftershave… …I'm suprised i'm not gay.
I Wonder? Who’s the non-de plume El Toro Negra?
Upon hearing either of his two tracks, it becomes immediately obvious that they were written by Stevie Wonder. Apparent throw-aways from either Innversions or Fulfillingness' First Finale (1973 and 1974, respectively), they do little for the breadth of Riperton’s skills. More than that, Stevie’s all over this album; he plays drums on one track, harmonica on another, electric piano on everything else, and while production credits go to Scorbo Productions, the sound presented here is all but enigmatic of Wonder’s typical, albeit effervescently multi-tracked, mid 70s production style. It actually helps Riperton, as the delicacy of the mix gives Minnie’s voice plenty of space to work within.
Taking note of the filler tracks, and the over-handedness of El Toro, I’d really like to have seen more of Minnie’s influence. Perfect Angel, while not brilliant, is still quite satisfying.
Minnie would die from breast cancer in 1979, at the tender age of 31.
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Great music to play while you’re: tongue-deep, or, in my case, roller skating.
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