Day 52: Gwen McCrae – On My Way

Album cover courtesy of Atlantic

I’m sort of going in blind again. I’ve got my big list of artists on my phone and at some stage, I’d put in Gwen McCrae. I don’t remember why, but this time past me did me a huge favour. I was going to choose her second album Rockin’ Chair, but for whatever reason that one isn’t available on Apple Music, so I went with On My Way.

Released in 1982, On My Way is Gwen McCrae’s eighth studio album. She grew up singing in church choir, then met a sailor called George McCrae, who she married within a week of meeting him. They later started recording songs as a duo, but she got a solo record contract and he became her manager. She released many albums during her life, but never really got the recognition she would have deserved, although her song “Always On My Mind” was covered by Brenda Lee and the Pet Shop Boys.

First thought I have listening to this is my God, what a voice. The songs are rich with emotion, and partly that’s probably where you can hear that she grew up singing in church. There’s such a unique strength to it. I can see why so many artists have sampled her songs. They’re fun and groovy while her vocals are incredible. She’s got the same magnetic quality to her voice as Whitney did, there’s so much power behind it.

The songs are also just a joy to listen to. “I Didn’t Take Your Man” is so brazen it’s fun. And the songs are catchy. For the rest of the night, I’m pretty sure I’ll have “doin’ it cos it feel goooooood” looping in my head, and if I ever need a little pick-me-up, I’ll listen to “Hey World”. Big fan of this. It’s an 8.5/10, but elsewhere in her discography I’m pretty sure I could find at least a 9.