Personnel includes: Minnie Riperton, Jose Feliciano, Peabo Bryson.
Compilation producer: A. Sctt Galloway.
Includes liner notes by A. Scott Galloway.
Audio Mixer: Jimmy Hoyson.
Liner Note Authors: Maya Rudolph; A. Scott Galloway.
Photographers: Kenneth McGowan; Harry Langdon; Barry Feinstein; George Hurrell; Jim Marshall .
Although her 1979 death at 31 still reverberates through pop and R&B, Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection is one of the first sets to successfully celebrate the joy, sensuality and wonder inherent in Minnie Riperton's music. This two-CD set has 34 tracks spanning the years 1966-1979. Unlike other compilations this culls work from all of her styles, including the cutesy but derivative R&B/pop she recorded under the name Andrea Davis. The collection also includes tracks from her stint with the often ho-hum, rock/R&B group Rotary Connection. The challenging and baroque songs from Riperton's first album, Come to My Garden, are much better. The tracks including the title, "Les Fleur," "Completeness," and "Expecting" are a collaborative effort between Riperton's husband Richard Rudolph and the brilliant Chicago writer/producer Charles Stephney. A few years down the line, she appeared to be an even more confident singer. Tracks like "Take a Little Trip," "Perfect Angel," and "Lovin' You," all from 1974, were all produced by Stevie Wonder in a relaxed and spare style. This set demonstrates other producers like Stewart Levine, Freddie Perren, and Jeremy Lubbock were also inspired to excellence by the style defined by Riperton and Rudolph. The evocative and powerful "Adventures in Paradise," "Inside My Love," and disco-ish "Young, Willing and Able" all have Riperton's sweetness and intelligence prominent in the mix. The later tracks, including the gorgeous "Memory Lane," finds the formula reaching perfection. Her five-and-a-half octave range is on full display here, and Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection assembles a plethora of definitive songs. ~ Jason Elias
An excellent overview of Minnie Riperton's '70s work on the Epic and Capitol labels, PETALS is probably the best single-disc overview of the last half of the Chicago native's tragically shortened career. (The first half, with the Gems and Rotary Connection, is well-documented by the anthology HER CHESS YEARS.) Although Riperton is best remembered for her 1975 hit "Lovin' You," she released several fine albums over the decade, many produced by her mentor and former employer Stevie Wonder. Riperton's staggering multi-octave range is legendary, but what makes these songs so powerful is the control she exhibits; no Mariah or Whitney showboating here. Besides lush orchestrated ballads in the style of her hit, PETALS contains funky dance tracks and pop tunes, including duets with Wonder and Latin guitarist Jose Feliciano. minimize