Evie Sands - Estate Of Mind (1975)

UK import

I've eagerly listened to files of this album for several years then I saw this OOP import CD sitting in a used bin for $3.99 and I couldn't pull my wallet out of my pocket fast enough. It's the 2006 release from Cherry Red Records. I was unaware of Evie Sands (bio here) until this past decade, but this find is quite a treat.

Record World, March 1, 1975, p. 1

Evie's got a vocal and writing style that sounds like the best parts of Carole King, Anne Murray, Dusty Springfield, and Karen Carpenter. If that that doesn't tempt your ears, I can't help ya. The material is strong and the supporting cast is very familiar: Michael Omartian, Dean Parks, Ernie Watts, David Hungate, etc. And on the bonus tracks, we have David Foster and Ray Parker, Jr. sightings.

CashBox, February 22, 1975, p. 25

Evie was helped out on this album by the team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who had numerous hit songs and a Grammy nomination to their credit. The collaboration was a success. In the CD liner notes, Sands states that "we all brought out the best in each other. It was a creative joy, as one by one, the songs came to life." And it's a joy to listen to them. Everybody firing on all cylinders.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart.

Tracks:

1. A Woman's Work Is Never Done - Grabbing my attention from the get-go, this thing kicks off with a driving, clavinet-heavy shuffle. Love the guitar filler and solo from Dean Parks. All too brief.
2. Love In The Afternoon - this smooth invitation to some riverside afternoon delight sounds a lot like Carole King. Sax solo from Ernie Watts. Did I mention it was smooth?
3. You Brought The Woman Out Of Me (Billboard #50, CashBox #63) - the below review calls the vocals "torrid" and that's a pretty good descriptor.  Her tone here definitely suits the lyrics. This single didn't hit the top 40, entering the Hot 100 on May 3, 1975 and staying on the chart 8 weeks.
   
   

   

   CashBox, February 22, 1975, p. 22
   FYI, the "flip" on this single was track 9, Early Morning Sunshine

   
   

   

   Billboard, April 5, 1975, p. 22

4. Take It Or Leave It - this waltz finds Evie in Dusty Springfield mode and her voice, along with the outstanding horn arrangements from Michael Omartian, are delicious.  Take it or leave it? I'm taking it fo sho.
5. Call Me Home Again - a beautiful, piano-driven ballad. All you really need is Evie and a piano, but they gradually add a tasteful rhythm section. There's an out-of-place synth solo that screams "1975!!!" that I've gotten used to by now and a tasty Fender Rhodes solo a bit later on.
6. One Thing On My Mind - they couldn't ignore the disco trend, but I love disco so no matter. The verse owes a lot to the Spinners' 1973 hit "I'll Be Around" but the syncopated chorus is what sticks in my ear. More synth solo from Omartian, who brings his 'A' game to the entire album.
7. Yesterday Can't Hurt Me  (Billboard AC #36) - a polished soft rock tune with another great chorus. Soft Rock Kid approved.
8. I Love Makin' Love To You  (Billboard #50, CashBox #44)  - maybe my favorite tune on the album. The intro borrows a bit from Chicago's "Saturday in the Park" but oh! the groove that follows. And the sexy vocals. And step back before the choir hits you in the face at the chorus. And then funky synth bass line. And then tasty horn licks. Whew! This single inexplicably didn't hit the top 40, entering the Hot 100 on October 4, 1975 and staying on that chart 10 weeks.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Early Morning Sunshine - the first hint of filler. The slide guitar takes us to country-crossover territory. Nonetheless, a chorus hook is a chorus hook regardless of genre.
10. (Am I) Crazy Cause I Believe - Speaking of a chorus hook, I'll sing this one for days now. Another great guitar solo from Parks and flute solo from Watts. I'm not sure if this simple tune was intended to be a vocal showcase, but that's what Evie turns it into.

Bonus tracks (recorded March - April, 1976):

11. Music Man - the verse ain't much but I dig the chorus. The arrangement is overblown in a mid-'70s kind of way.
12. Signed, Sealed, Delivered - cover of the Stevie Wonder tune. I didn't think much of this one at first, but the funky, variety show arrangement and Evie's sizzling vocals have changed my mind.
13. You Can Do It - this one just lays there but as the arrangement gets more complex, this cut slightly redeems itself.  The bridge and the multi-solo jam section it becomes at the end are the best parts.
14. The Way You Do The Things You Do - cover of the Temptations tune. Another cover with a variety show arrangement but they don't bring much to this fairly rote version.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wish I could say that young Mark was spinning his vinyl copy of this album back in '75, but the truth is I didn't discover it until this millennium. But there's no prize for being first to a release - better late than never.