(R&B, Soul) Leata Galloway - The Naked Truth - 1988, MP3, 320 kbps

Leata Galloway a powerfully persuasive singer that musical tastemakers proudly proclaim “a natural.” The Brooklyn-born beauty has wrapped the full spectrum of her chops around every style of music under the sun and around the globe - in topflight musical theatre productions, scintillating headliner concert engagements and mood-drenched movie scores. However, she has always been, first and foremost, a Jazz Singer. With well over three octaves at her command, Galloway has extraordinary switches of range, mood and idiom.
Across her illustrious career, Leata Galloway has appeared in the musical “Sophisticated Ladies,” followed by her own Japanese import jazz CD Sophisticated Lady (recorded with the trio of pianist Mark Gray, drummer Billy Hart and bassist Tom Barney). That earned her a nomination in Japan’s Swing Journal for Best Female Vocalist. She also recorded a Big Band album in Germany titled Live from The Hamburg Jazz Gala with The Peter Herbolzheimer All Stars, an international 18-piece aggregation that featured saxophonist Don Menza, trumpeter Chuck Findley, bassist Niels-Henning Osted Pedersen and drummer Grady Tate. She toured for a year singing behind the legendary pop traditionalist Peggy Lee and later embarked upon a 17 country EuropeanTour with Austrian contemporary keyboard wizard Joe Zawinul’s pan-cultural ensemble The Zawinul Syndicate.
Leata Galloway has come a long way from Harlem where she and an older sister grew up in a volitale environment. “"I could sing ‘Stormy Monday Blues’ and mean it by the time I was 8",” she quips! Music became Leata’'s salvation, beginning with the Nancy Wilson albums she'’d sneak into her room from her father’s collection to get lost in.
Those gratis lessons paid off big time when Leata went from being a junior in a high school production of the musical theatre classic “Carousel” to the inaugural cast of therevolutionary rock opera “Hair” on Broadway. She stayed for two-and-a-half years and was immortalized on the now-classic RCA Records original cast album. Taken under the wing of one of the show’s composers, Galt McDermott, Leata was the only original cast member featured in the film adaptation over a decade later (singing “Electric Blues”) as well as sing two songs on-screen for the Black screen gem “Cotton Comes to Harlem.” Many more stage productions followed, from “Don’'t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” on Broadway to “Golden Boy” off Broadway. A chance role in a small German film led to Leata recording her debut LP, Leata, for Ariola Records – a pop production.
Back in New York, Leata developed her Jazz nightclub act, which brought her to the attention of Dr. George Butler at Columbia Records who signed her after seeing her at Green Street. However, Leata usurped by the R&B department where a Quiet Storm LP, The Naked Truth, was produced by Nick Martinelli (Phyllis Hyman and Regina Belle) and Preston Glass (Whitney Houston), highlighted by a sensational rendering of “Cry Me a River” (arranged by James Lloyd of Pieces of a Dream). Leata also moonlighted on albums by vibraphonist Mike Mainieri (Love Play) and sax man Tom Scott (Desire).

Exploring territory quite foreign to that on her early-'80s debut set, Leata Galloway proves herself an assured song stylist on The Naked Truth. The opening power pop-soul, mid-tempo number, "With Every Beat of My Heart" -- released as a single -- is a glorious cross between the raw grit of Tina Turner and the lushness of Nancy Wilson. Gliding with serene melody and lyrics true to life, "Heartache (Don't Discriminate)" is another peak moment. Occasionally, Nick Martinelli's production is a bit too glossy; for the most part, however, the sound here is thoroughly relaxing and durably arranged. This is one of the most impressive early efforts to blend contemporary R&B and jazz into the format that gradually blossomed into R&B-driven smooth jazz. Galloway's inspired, passionate performances throughout insure that the songs don't fall victim to the banality sometimes associated with that subgenre. The cohesive listening experience that results makes one wonder why this gem of an album didn't get nearly the commercial clout it deserved.

Leata Galloway - Vocals
Toots Thielemans - Harmonica
Wilton Felder - Sax Tenor
Ron Kerber - Saxophone, Horn
Jeffrey Lego, Richard Kerber, Robert Hagglund, Douglas Dupre, Marcus Johnson, Steve Wise, Dennis Wasko, Gary McKeen, Robert McAllister – Horn
Linda Lawley, Angel Rogers, Armand Pocoroba, Carolyn Mitchell Vocals (Background)
James K. Lloyd, Preston Glass, Curtis Dowd, Jr., Dennis Richardson – Keyboards
Donald Robinson - Flute, Keyboards, Piano, Keyboards
Randy Bowland – Guitar
Randy Cantor - Synthesizer, Keyboards, Strings
Doug Grigsby – Bass Guitar
Daryl Burgee, Jim Salamone – Drums
Mayra Casales, Pablo Batista - Percussion