Not to take anything from Ms. Ripperton, but I was wondering if it's common knowledge that her daughter is a current Saturday Night Live member. I remember Maya when she was little (she has a brother also); what can I say, I read Jet Magazine a lot when I was younger. (I also remember Diana Ross' daughters when they were babies.)

Today,I pulled out Minnie Riperton's 1974 album 'Perfect Angel' and it is a MASTERPIECE! I hadn't played it in awhile,and I was pleasantly reminded of what a great album it is.This is the album that contains her biggest hit,"Lovin You",but there are many other wonderful songs on this stunning,well-produced album.


First of all,let's get one thing straight: the late Minnie Riperton was an amazing vocalist,singing like an angel and hitting notes that today's singers STILL can't hit.'Perfect Angel' is a vivid display of her awesome talents.In the early 70s,she was one of Stevie Wonder's background singers,and on this album,he helps out on several tracks,writng,producing and playing harmonica.In fact,several tracks sound like outtakes from Wonder's own landmark albums during this period!


Things start off with a bang.The opening track "Reasons" features a guitar-heavy,funked-up arrangement,proving that Riperton can get down when she wants to.The hypnotic "Take A Little Trip" is just lovely,as is "The Edge Of A Dream".The best song is the bluesy "Everytime He Comes Around",in which Riperton sings..."I ain't looking for a man to love me for an hour...I ain't looking for a man to love me for a day...Everytime he comes around,I get that funny feeling...what I'm looking for doesn't matter anyway".This track features alot of nice guitar work.

Surprisingly,this CD is out of print in the U.S.,but you can get it from Amazon as a Japanese import (and btw,mistermaxx,I saw your Amazon review of this album...lol).
[This message was edited Mon Jan 20 1:03:47 PST 2003 by DavidEye]

I agree, Uptown Deb, this is a great thread. I, too, remember seeing pictures of Maya and her brother, Marc in Jet when they were children. I watch her often on SNL and think she looks so much like her mother. I don't know that she has the "singing genes" but she's really funny! As for Minnie, I haven't heard anyone who has a voice quite like hers! I have all of her work on vinyl and hope that sometime in the near future, I can transfer it to CD rather than having to buy the European imports.