Months out of high school in 1972,
Patrice Rushen
attracted the attention of the
Prestige
label at the Monterey Jazz Festival. When the keyboardist moved to
Elektra
six years later, she was behind three almost entirely self-composed albums -- all of which she also arranged -- and was progressing further away from pure jazz with a greater emphasis on funk, soul, and her lilting vocals. The transition was completed during her seven years with
, a run of five LPs summarized here to near perfection by the U.K.-based
Strut
label. A few of
Rushen
's charting singles from the period aren't included, but the disc is filled to capacity and astutely prioritizes breadth. All the major hits are represented, typically and justifiably in their 12" versions. These include the supercharged quartet of "Haven't You Heard," "Look Up!," "Never Gonna Give You Up," and "Forget Me Nots," each one immediately pleasurable and splendidly detailed. Beneath the A-sides with dancefloor appeal is a clutch of deep quiet storm classics. "Where There Is Love" and "Remind Me," both tantalizing ballads --
tucks one of her most dazzling electric piano solos into the latter -- helped make
Straight from the Heart
one of the best albums of 1982. The selection also accommodates the artist's post-crossover shift into
Mtume
-like pared-down machine soul with the two best tracks off
Now
, her last act for
.
deserves commendation for redressing
WEA
/
Warner Music Group
's neglect of
's
recordings. The larger entity injudiciously backed only
Rhino
's 1996 expanded reissue of
and an overview, and otherwise let the works languish, even as rap, pop, and gospel artists continued to repurpose elements, and as sessions by a multitude of stylistic descendants -- from
Norah Jones
and
Alicia Keys
to
4hero
the West Coast Get Down
-- picked up where they left off. (
Wounded Bird
at least intervened in 2003 with the first stateside CD editions of
Patrice
,
Pizzazz
Posh
, and
.) The inaction perhaps shouldn't be surprising given that
wasn't adequately supported in the first place. As told in
boss
Quinton Scott
's liner notes for this set,
didn't get behind "Forget Me Nots" until after
and close collaborators
Charles Mims
Freddie Washington
paid an independent promoter to jump-start it at radio. Had the three not taken the matter into their own hands, the song would not have become a number 23 pop hit and earned a Grammy nomination in the R&B field. As demonstrated with this anthology, "Forget Me Nots" is merely one highlight in a bounty of everlasting material. It's all among the essential R&B of the post-disco, pre-new jack swing era. ~ Andy Kellman