Best known for her soul classic “I Can’t Stand The Rain”, vocalist Ann Peebles serves up a stomping Memphis stew with John Sangster/sax, Anthony Royal/tp, Dennis Bates/tb and a rhythm section of Leroy Hodges/b, Charles Hodges/key, Howard Grimes/dr and Thomas Bingham/g as she works a crowd at the duck-laden Peabody Hotel back in 1992.
She stomps through the tribal beat on “Part Time Love” and gets sassy around the dark horns of “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down”. The horns get STAXY for “I Can’t Stand The Rain” and are p e ppy for “Let Your Love Shine”. As with all black music, the roots are the church, and she gives a gospel’d “(You Keep Me) Hangin’ On” that is riveting, while she rasps through the dark mood of “Didn’t We Do IT”. Secular soul.