Come to My Garden

by Minnie Riperton

Overview

Minnie Riperton's solo debut is in many respects her finest hour -- devoid of the overly syrupy production that hampers her later work, Come to My Garden instead couches her miraculous voice in the elegant arrangements of the great Charles Stepney, striking a perfect balance between romantic melodrama and sensual nuance. Call Stepney's singular approach "chamber soul"--the nimble melodies and insistent grooves swell with orchestral flourishes, while the jazz-inspired rhythms (courtesy of Ramsey Lewis' group) at times evoke Van Morrison's masterpiece Astral Weeks. Stepney creates the ideal backdrop for Riperton's soaring vocals, which reveal a subtlety and restraint absent from the glass-shattering bombast of her subsequent performances -- the opening "Les Fleurs" (covered decades later by 4Hero) crystallizes the entire record, embracing both intimacy and majesty to haunting effect. ~ Jason Ankeny

Product Details

Release Date:	08/08/2012
Label:	Essential Media Group
UPC:	0894231312120
Rank:	38760

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Minnie Riperton   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Ramsey Lewis   Guest Artist,Rhythm
Phil Upchurch   Guest Artist
Maurice White   Guest Artist,Rhythm
Cleveland Eaton   Rhythm
Charles Stepney   Conductor
Elsa Harris   Vocals (Background)
Kitti Hayward   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Terence Blanchard   Composer
Cary E. Mansfield   Reissue Producer
Dean Rudland   Liner Notes
Richard Rudolph   Composer
Nick Watson   Remastering
Gary Starr   Engineer
Charles Stepney   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Orchestral Arrangements
Stu Black   Engineer
Bill Pitzonka   Reissue Art Director
John Reed   Coordination
Dick Lapalm   Album Supervision
Robert Rudolph   Composer
Daniel Hersch   Digital Remastering
Tom Ornshaw   Artwork
Rose Johnson   Composer
John Stocklin   Composer
Dick Fowler   Design,Original Design Concept