"Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan Volume One"
By Maximillian Muhammad
I admit I'm a 70s Soul Junkie. Yes, I like some things since then, but to me this was the true soul time period. Motown and others in the 60s to around 1984 was the period to bump to. Chaka has been and continues to be one of my zillion favorites. She's sweet, raw, soulful, painful (like Diana, Patti Labelle, Aretha, Billie Holiday, Minnie Riperton, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald), rich in texture from her days with Rufus ("Once You get Started," "Sweet Thing,"). Sorry Mary J. Blige, I like you, but you ain't Chaka. "Epiphany" covers her solo days with hits like "Ain't Nobody," "I'm Every Woman" (forget Whitney's version), "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" and the 1984 classic, you know, "Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, I Feel For You."
Also on this set from the Rufus days is "Tell Me Something Good" (live) and a new jam with the very talented Me'Shell Ndege'ocello, "Never Miss the Water." Talk about talent...it is a treasure when you hear her voice. Those who emulate can be heard all over the radio, but they don't even come close. Hers is a soulful presence that's lacking heavily today. You feel her paying her dues unlike so many over-the-top singers today, who couldn't hear their heart beat even if it was placed to their ears. She's more than a 70s or 80s artist; she's the whole goods and more, a Diva who can deliver the goods and make you enjoy the fire of her soul. A fan like me has been waiting for this for a loooonnnnnng timmmmmmme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forget that remixed crap. This is the ShoNuff!