Less Than 1,000 Spins is a Micro-Chop side project, Spotify and YouTube playlist, daily newsletter, and a place to find great songs with less than 1,000 spins. You can support the project by sharing the newsletter, the playlists, and/or music from the playlists with other people.
Paulette Reaves was a formidable talent on the Miami soul scene during the mid-to-late 1970s. The weight of her words resonates through her songs thanks to her strong, beautiful voice. She released just two records during her all-too-brief career with Blue Candle, a subsidiary of the late Henry Stone’s T.K. Productions.
Reaves’ debut Secret Lover first hit shelves in 1976 and sales were modest. The website Dusty Groove points out that her talents seem misplaced on Blue Candle because T.K. Productions was mostly disco-focused at the time. This may have contributed to the album’s lack of commercial success, which is a shame. Reaves deserves commercial and critical acclaim.
Secret Lover has many highlight moments including “Your Real Good Thing's About To Come To An End,” which opens with a dispute between Reaves and her man before moving into a beautifully sung comeuppance. Her vocal command and range are stunning.
Another choice selection form this album is the title track. The late artist, producer, and songwriter Clarence Reid penned and produced this number and many other songs from the record. Reid’s use of piano and a beautiful orchestral arrangement perfectly complement Reaves’ earnest tale of her relationship with a married man. She embraces the song’s slow pace to showcase her versatility as a vocalist, infusing her voice with the appropriate emotion needed to accentuate and underscore certain words and sections of the song. The background vocalists on “Secret Lover” take it to another level. Unfortunately, I can’t properly credit the backing band or vocalists at this time due to lack of info in the liner notes.
Building the Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist has allowed me to dive deep into the Miami funk and soul archives of the ‘70s and ‘80s, especially Henry Stone’s catalog. I’m so glad I’ve discovered artists like Paulette Reaves. I hope she is eventually given the recognition she deserves.
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