PreferredConsumer.com | Don't Just Buy. Know.

Thelma Houston: A Woman's Touch

By Keith Hannaleck

Artist: Thelma Houston
Title: A Woman's Touch
Label: Shout! Factory
Website: www.ThelmaHouston.com
Myspace: www.MySpace.com/ThelmaHouston
Purchase this CD: Amazon

Thelma Houston may have been a diva in the ‘70s but the title still applies several decades later. She has a smoldering soulful album out now titled A Woman’s Touch. The CD features tracks originally recorded by male singers including Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye and Sting, to mention a few.

The songs are from a woman’s vantage point but even the male listener can reinterpret it all from their side and find enjoyment and appreciation for what Houston accomplishes on this outing. From any viewpoint, this is good music and it comes from the tip of Houston’s toes, through her heart, and into your ears. Ultimately, it saturates your soul as well.

Similar to the beginning of the Lion King, the album opens with a familiar call to the wild, and then Thelma gives the world her own wake up call on “Wake up Everybody.” This opening track has enormous impact and the message comes through as if it was especially for you. I like the way she leads into some of the songs by talking, and then jumps right into her soulful singing. The subjects are all very familiar; “Love and Happiness” (or lack thereof), “Never Too Much,” “Distant Lover” - they are all subjects we can relate to on some level. Perhaps “Medley: Dance (Disco Heat)/You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” will bring longtime fans of Houston’s legacy some smiles and give new fans some idea of why she was on a roll back when disco was all the rage, and how the music still has relevancy today.

This is a triumphant return for Thelma Houston and it makes a statement for women all over the world. Through music, a voice can and will be heard loud and clear, and in this case, I think it will be a very effective way to get the word out about the artist and what its like to look at things through the eyes of a woman with conviction.

Reviewed - August, 13, 2007

Tracks:

01. Wake Up Everybody
02. Never Too Much
03. Brand New Day
04. Ain't That Peculiar
05. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
06. Distant Lover
07. Love and Happiness
08. Medley: Dance (Disco Heat)/You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
09. That's the Way of the World
10. Please Send Me Someone To Love

About the Author:

Keith Hannaleck, known as “MuzikMan” is a Journalist specializing in independent and major music reviews and the promotion of artists via the various media outlets flourishing online. He has worked closely with artists, management, publicity directors, and webmasters to provide some of the best and far-reaching coverage an artist could have. Focusing primarily on the internet as a medium for his work, Keith has been a pioneer in the industry changing the way a reviewer with his various talents are used by many artists, PR folks, and labels. He has provided strong and valuable work to labels, artists, and publicity people, writing reviews, press releases, and biographies and much more over the years, giving the people he works with the maximum amount of exposure through several top-notch websites that post his content on their sites.

Hannaleck built and maintained his own website in 1998 while networking and building his reputation through thousands of reviews and interviews, creating a special niche for himself. Through many years of dedication and hard work, he has reached a respected level of competence and knowledge that is frequently sought by the music industry today. Known for his speaking from the heart interpretations of music and being able to put it in layman’s terms for music fans, his work is found everywhere in cyberspace and in traditional print media, from press kits to quotes from reviews in magazine advertisements.