Before hitting her stride with 1974's , delivered this tasty disc of uptown . Both raw and slick, percolates with smoky horns, snaking guitar lines, electric piano, strings, and bluesy grooves. In addition to her usually provocative take on relationships (both in the home and at the dark end of the street), -- via -- delivers the affecting ghetto laments and And while some of the charts are a bit lacking, is solid throughout, especially on slow-burners like A fine early offering from the diva of salacious sass. [The 2006 reissue features seven bonus tracks, including alternate mixes, takes, and stereo versions.] ~ Stephen Cook