Freda Payne

When Freda Payne signed with the reactivated Volt label in 2000, many of the diehard soul lovers who knew her for "Band of Gold" and "Bring the Boys Home" were no doubt hoping for an album of Detroit soul and Holland/Dozier/Holland classics. But the veteran singer is more versatile than that. Before she became known for Motor City soul, Payne recorded jazz for ABC/Paramount, MGM, and Bob Thiele's Impulse! label (home of heavyweights like John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders). Payne is no more an R&B purist than Nancy Wilson (one of her influences) is a jazz purist. Recorded in 2000 and released in 2001, Come See About Me contains only a few examples of retro soul. "First Impression" and the title track (a cover of Diana Ross & the Supremes' 1964 smash) recall her soul output of the late '60s and early '70s, but the CD also offers everything from urban and quiet storm to adult contemporary. Payne (who was 55 when this album was recorded) even gets into dance-pop on the anthemic "I Live for New York City." None of the material is straight-ahead jazz, although "Let's Make Beautiful Music," "You Complete Me," and an arrangement of the standard "You Turned the Tables on Me" are the sort of mellow quiet storm offerings that one would expect from Anita Baker. Come See About Me isn't a masterpiece and isn't among Payne's essential albums, but it's a pleasant, enjoyable effort that should please her diehard fans. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi