Martha Veléz - Fiends & Angels (Blues-Rock 1969)

Martha Velez only issued five albums in her recording career of the 1960s & 1970s. But she has a cult fan following and her albums feature a host of guest musicians. Recorded in 1969, Fiends & Angels is making its worldwide CD debut & features Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Brian Auger, Christine McVie, Jim Capaldi, Mitch Mitchell and the list goes on.
38 minutes approximately. Good warm sound. How could you go wrong with Clapton,Webb(of Chicken Shack)and Kossoff on guitar? Add to that Jack Bruce on bass,Brian Auger on organ,Christine McVie on keyboards,Jim Capaldi(Traffic)and Mitch Mitchell on drums,plus the rhythm section from Chicken Shack,the great Duster Bennett on harmonica,and the cream of session horn players at the time-it added up,hopefully,to some good music.
Combining several originals with a number of well-known tracks made this a great if unknown album. Velez's voice is similar to Bonnie Bramlett(of Delaney and Bonnie)with just a touch of Julie Driscoll. As was mentioned previously,the sound is straight out of the late sixties-a slight blending of instruments and voice that makes for a good,naturally warm sound. This is an advantage,for Velez's voice could easily sound harsh and cold in a digitally stark remastered version. As expected,the quality of the backing band is great and helps place this album above the average run of the mill release. On various tracks its easy to hear which guitarist is playing,and while there are no long solos,the arrangements are just fine.
It's a shame this album was not more well-known upon it's release,but with so many other albums,by so many great groups during this era,Velez's album was here and gone. Hopefully,it's release on cd may rectify this oversight-because this album is a prime example of the music recorded in an era of much great music. It's good to hear it again,and isn't that the mark of good music?

http://www.amazon.com/Fiends-Angels-Martha-Velez/dp/B0015I2Q0S