Just a Matter of Time

by Andrew Hamilton She was their first female artist, but Blue Note Records didn't have a clue on how to record or promote Marlena Shaw. Her two Cadet albums are more satisfying than any of her five Blue Note sets. This is her most commercial Blue Note offering, as she was dropped after Who Is This ***** Anyway, an aptly titled album given that Marlena constantly bickered with Blue Note about the minuscule sales of three previous albums. Marlena craved a hit, something she hadn't experienced since "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" made the R&B charts in 1967 on Cadet Records. Blue Note hired R&B producers Bert DeCoteaux and Tony Silvester to make it happen, but it never did; only the disco-ish "It's Better Than Walking Out" surfaced. "Be for Real" (Not the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song) and "No Hiding Place" owe more to gospel than anything, but they're weak and uninspiring, and "Brass Band" is silly. The best of the bunch include a remake of the Spinners' "Love Has Gone Away," "This Time I'll Be Sweeter," and the lilting "You and Me."