Let Me in Your Life

by Alex Henderson In 1982, Marlena Shaw had yet to make her return to straight-ahead jazz singing. R&B was her main focus, but she had gotten away from the sort of outright disco she had embraced in the late '70s. It was that year that the singer recorded Let Me in Your Life, an enjoyable urban-contemporary effort that came out on the short-lived South Bay label. Although this rare LP was ignored by radio and didn't do much commercially, it boasts some noteworthy participants: Johnny Bristol and Webster Lewis are the producers, and the musicians include percussionist Paulinho Da Costa and the late alto saxophonist Don Myrick (best known for his years with Earth, Wind & Fire's Phoenix Horns). The material isn't outstanding, but it's decent; in fact, the ballad "Next Time I Fall in Love," the sleek "Never Give Up On You," and the funky single "More Room at the Top" might have become hits if they had enjoyed the promotional push of a larger label. But unfortunately, the L.A.-based South Bay Records was unable to do as much for Shaw as it would have liked to. Let Me in Your Life went out of print when South Bay folded, and it's most unlikely that anyone will ever reissue the little-known album on CD.