Come to My Garden

Come to My Garden
Studio album by Minnie Riperton
Released November 1970
Recorded November 24–26, 1969
Ter Mar Studios
(Chicago, Illinois)
Genre
Label GRT
Producer Charles Stepney
Minnie Riperton chronology
Come to My Garden
(1970)		 Perfect Angel
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Come to My Garden is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton which was produced, arranged and orchestrated by Charles Stepney and released in 1970 under GRT Records. It was re-released in 1974 on the Janus label, in the same time frame as Riperton's album "Perfect Angel" and her hit "Lovin' You." [2]

The album was first released on CD in 1990, and has since been made available in digital form. None of the CD editions have material transferred directly from the original master tapes. All CD editions were mastered in UK, USA and other countries using LP records and different noise reduction methods. It is quite possible that original tapes that belonged to GRT were lost forever.

The album peaked at number 160 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in 1974.[3] Some versions of the CD release do not include the last track, "Whenever, Wherever." Riperton said she wanted a sound like the great Dionne Warwick / Burt Bacharach collaborations for the album.

Background

Minnie Riperton was presented as a solo artist by Ramsey Lewis on Saturday, December 26, 1970 at Chicago's famed London House. She performed several numbers from the album accompanied by Charles Stepney, the album's producer. Although commercially unsuccessful, Come to My Garden is considered a masterpiece by critics. "Les Fleur"[lower-alpha 1] is probably the album's best known song, and "Expecting" remains a favourite among fans.

The heavy rock aspect of Riperton's band Rotary Connection is absent here, replaced by lush orchestrations and a jazzy soft-pop feel that complements Riperton's multi-octave voice. The songs, mostly by Stepney and Riperton's husband Richard Rudolph, are mostly minor-key ballads, with alternately sorrowful and poetic lyrics. The singer-songwriter-y results recall early albums by Roberta Flack as well as the contemporary work by Riperton's future employer/mentor Stevie Wonder.

Track listing

Side 1
  1. "Les Fleur"[lower-alpha 1] (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) – 3:18
  2. "Completeness" (Stepney, Rose Johnson) – 3:32
  3. "Come to My Garden" (Rudolph) – 3:19
  4. "Memory Band" (Stepney) – 4:05
  5. "Rainy Day in Centerville" (Stepney, Rudolph) – 5:22
Side 2
  1. "Close Your Eyes and Remember" (Stepney, Rudolph) – 3:38
  2. "Oh, By the Way" (Stepney, Rudolph) – 2:58
  3. "Expecting" (Stepney, Jon Stocklin) – 3:51
  4. "Only When I'm Dreaming" (Stepney, Sidney Barnes) – 3:24
  5. "Whenever, Wherever" (Stepney, Johnson) – 3:34[5]

Personnel

Later samples

Cover versions

"Les Fleur"[lower-alpha 1] was covered by British band 4hero on their 2001 album Creating Patterns.[7]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 For unknown reasons the original record label spelled the song as "Les Fleur,"[4] although the French plural of "La Fleur" (flower) would normally be spelled "Les Fleurs." Many reissues and compilations use the latter spelling.

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Minnie-Riperton-Come-To-My-Garden/release/3561181
  3. ↑ "Minnie Riperton - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Minnie Riperton - Come To My Garden". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Vinyl edition of Come to My Garden on discogs.com
  6. ↑ CD edition of Come to My Garden on discogs.com
  7. ↑ Chick, Stevie (29 June 2016). "Minnie Riperton – 10 of the best". The Guardian.
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