1971 Margie Joseph “Phase II” on Volt

I mean, is it even possible to love Margie J more? Fantastic voice, super instrumental and slyly nuanced delivery to the usual love and loss lyrics penned by others, full of attitude and style and also a certain alluring world-weariness. Of course, this being Volt, she’s more or less backed by whatever Bar Kay they could round up for the session, pretty impeccable funky support regardless, and engineered by the engineering genius who was Fred Briggs. This great record is also slickly righteous, yeah, that’s gospel twangs on the downlow when you crank it loud, and strains of jazz too, since Detroit was trying to cut into some of those Atlantic proceeds with crossover action, all of which just makes this record so much more than a lot of its contemporary radio soul peers. Especially since she wound up on Atlantic four years later. Margie Joseph was hardly household, but easily could have been. I love this record.