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Title: The Soulful Divas: Personal Portraits of over a Dozen Divine Divas, from Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, & Diana Ross to Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, & Janet Jackson by David Nathan, Luther Vandross ISBN: 0-8230-8430-2 Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns Pub. Date: January, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.41 (22 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Enjoyable to read but ultimately less than satisfying
Comment: With Soulful Divas, David Nathan - a true lover of r&B music - has compiled interviews with many of his favorite singers of the past 40 years. Some of the subjects, like that of the humorously raunchy Millie Jackson and the troubled Nina Simone, make for compelling reading. Most suffer from his endless fawning however. Take, for instance, Diana Ross. By all other accounts, Miss Ross is a difficult person, yet Nathan makes her out to be practically a saint.
Nathan's frequent access to all of the top divas exposes the modern journalist's dilemma: if he fully captures his subjects in print, warts and all, he risks alienating them and being denied interview access to them in the future. Instead, Nathan fawns all over his subjects and gets repeat interviews with high-profile women who are often leery of the press (Aretha Franklin for one). Because of his "tactics", we are able to enjoy his many interviews in one setting (this book). Too bad most of his portraits don't penetrate the surface.
Rating: 5
Summary: 'Could be subtitled "The Lord of the sing(-ers)"
Comment: David Nathan KNOWS his R & B. For close to four decades, the book's author has been a contributor, in some way or another, to the production of over 500 albums of soul music. He has done countless interviews, provided liner notes for recordings, served as producer on several, and even done a little background singing. It is obvious that if anyone knows what a "diva" truly is, David Nathan is that man.
"The Soulful Divas" covers the recording careers of the ladies profiled with little snippets of their non-professional beginnings, as well as individual highs and lows. However, it's these little "peeks" into the artists' characters that make the book such a fascinating read.
Not meaning to reveal much of the text, there are many little known facts reported in each profile. Each of the women has experienced her share of failed romantic relationships, legal battles with recording companies, perceived public opinions, peaks and valleys in album sales, and personal tragedies.
Most tragic of all showcased within the pages of the expose is the late Phyllis Hyman, a diva in every sense of the word. Like Nathan, I am a fan of hers, also, and her untimely demise still brings a lump in my throat.
But, the chapter on Millie Jackson is a welcome find. Jackson is the only diva profiled that is not represented in my musical library, save for a duet album with Isaac Hayes. However, after reading about the singer's body of work, as well as her down-to-earth and honest demeanor, I think that this is about to change.
I am curious about a certain "expletive deleted" symphony that she composed.
Note for the author: The next time around, include Patti Austin in volume two.
Rating: 3
Summary: Mildly Entertaining
Comment: It is obvious that David Nathan truly idolizes his subjects which probably accounts for the calculated design at the end of each chapter to make sure in no uncertain terms that he has shown that subject in her best light. I can certainly empathize because many of the divas profiled are true favorites of mine. That said, soul diva aficionados will readily recognize this as a collection of all-too-familiar press clippings even the most casual follower has at least heard of. To his credit, it is indeed refreshing to hear about lesser publicized divas like Esther Phillips, Millie Jackson, Nina Simone, Doris Troy or Phylllis Hyman. And ultimately, the final chapter sketching younger divas appeared entirely too hastily thrown together with the end result being little more than an unsatisfying epilogue.
Quite honestly, if you are in to black female vocalists, this, of course, was an easy, flattering read. However, the finished product is little more than an indulgent scrapbook by a journalist who, apparently, could have shed infinitely more light on the personalities he featured, but declined or refused out of either fierce loyalty or abject fear. Not only do the subjects deserve more than this, but so does the author.
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Title: I Put a Spell on You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone by Nina Simone, Stephen Cleary ISBN: 0306813270 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: 14 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul by Mark Bego ISBN: 0306809354 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: 20 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $17.50 |
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Title: Diana Ross : A Legend in Focus by Sharon Davis ISBN: 1840183357 Publisher: Trafalgar Square Pub. Date: 30 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Aretha From These Roots by Aretha Franklin, Aretha Franklin, David Ritz ISBN: 0375500332 Publisher: Villard Pub. Date: 28 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Motown : The Golden Years: The Stars and Music That Shaped a Generation by Bill Dahl, Weldon A. McDougal III ISBN: 0873492862 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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