| Confessin' the Blues | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Esther Phillips |
| Cover: | Confessin' the Blues.jpg |
| Released: | 1975 |
| Recorded: | 1966, 1970 |
| Label: | Atlantic[1] |
| Producer: | Nesuhi Ertegun, King Curtis |
| Prev Title: | What a Diff'rence a Day Makes |
| Prev Year: | 1975 |
| Next Title: | For All We Know |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
Confessin' the Blues is an album by the American musician Esther Phillips.[2] [3] It was released in 1975, with an Atlantic Jazzlore reissue in 1987.
The album peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard 200.[4]
The album was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and King Curtis. It is made up of two recording sessions. The first side contains big band numbers conducted by Onzy Matthews.[5] The second side was recorded with a quartet of jazz musicians at the Pied Piper Club, in Los Angeles.[4] The songs on the first side were recorded in 1966; the songs on side two in 1970.[6] Donald Bailey played drums on some of the tracks.[7]
Robert Christgau opined that "consistent material (lots of twelve-bar) and the complete absence of violins make these sessions ... preferable to the run of her Kudu albums."
The Washington Informer called the first side "Phillips at her best, with the kind intelligently conceived support that her major talent deserved."[5] The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "there's some gutsy, wailing playing here and great arrangements by Onzy Matthews."[6] The Omaha World-Herald determined that "the whining sound of her voice could become somewhat irritating, but she had a way with soulful songs."[8]
AllMusic called the closing medley "the highlight of the set, showing Phillips in a bluesy setting." The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that the performances are "amusing, bittersweet and heart-rending." The Houston Chronicle listed the album as one of the 75 essential Texas blues albums.[9]