Swamp Dogg Presents: The Boss Ladies of Soul

Personnel: Ruby Andrews (background vocals); Al Vescovo, Melvin Veazie, Mike Deasy Sr. (guitar); Arthur Maebe (French horn); Paul Hornsby (piano); Michael Lockett (keyboards, drums); Victor Feldman (vibraphone, percussion); Paul Humphrey (drums); Carolyn Basley, Elaine Hill, Genie Brown (background vocals).
Recording information: Capricorn, Macon, GA; I.D., Hollywood, CA; Techno Sound Studios, Baton Rouge, LA.
Arranger: Michael Lockett.
A pure character, maverick songwriter, producer and singer, Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams almost seems like he stepped straight out of a Hollywood movie about the music industry, although in this case, he really does have the talent, skill and bravado to get things done. Aside from writing hundreds of songs and putting out albums on his own, Williams has also produced an astounding range of artists that run the gamut from Gene Pitney to Kid Rock. He has always shown a special affinity for female R&B singers, though, and through his Swamp Dogg Presents imprint, which he founded way back in 1972, he has released several LPs by singers like Ruth Brown and Sandra Phillips and the two artists collected here, Ruby Andrews and Gloria Lynne, whose Swamp Dogg Presents material is collected here in its entirety. The Lynne tracks are probably the stronger ones, thanks to her Aretha Franklin-like feistiness on funky songs like the impressive "Whatever It Was You Just Did," while Andrews' selections are a little less fleshed out, although the Louisiana-tinged "To the Other Woman (I'm the Other Woman)" and the scathing "Throw Some More Dirt on Me" are certainly nothing to sneeze at. It's an interesting, if not exactly essential, mix of two intriguing artists buoyed by Williams' typically clean, clear, and precise production style. ~ Steve Leggett