Raw Silk

Highly popular in Japan through her collaboration with the Crusaders, Randy had debuted in America on Warner in 1975 with George Benson's help. This third album became her Japanese debut. Situated between jazz and R&B, she made an impressive appearance with the presence of a cute woman who could seem worldly-wise and mischievous. Her high-toned vocals, with their distinctive, subtly husky edge, cannot be disposed of with the simple label ‘husky voice.’ She has a measured gospel feeling, a jazz sensibility and a hint of spirituality—the potential to communicate deep emotion once song and performance find their match.

On the opening ‘I Stand Accused,’ with Don Grusin's comfortable electric piano, her unaffected singing touches the heart directly. Brook Benton's own 1959 hit ‘Endlessly’ has a bright, swinging elegance too. Across the album, she is especially suited to blues-based slow ballads. The modest, honest way she explores them deeply, neither stepping in too far nor retreating too far, is a unique attraction.