Millie Jackson - Feelin' Bitchy (Reissue) (2012)

Soul fans who don't have a taste for off-color humor have often argued that Millie Jackson should stay away from the racy stuff. They insist that a soulstress as talented as Jackson doesn't need to be raunchy, claiming that her sexually explicit diatribes are an unnecessary distraction. But here's the thing: those diatribes are genuinely funny -- at times, she's downright hilarious. Jackson would still be a great singer even without the R-rated and X-rated monologues, but those monologues are a nice bonus. Not without its share of raunchy humor, this 1977 LP is unlikely to get Dr. Laura's stamp of approval any time soon. But those who don't mind off-color humor will find Feelin' Bitchy to be a first-rate soul album. Jackson provides some hilarious diatribes on "You Created a Monster" and the bluesy "All the Way Lover" (which lambastes women who prefer soap operas over their husbands), and she fares equally well on less explicit material like Hot's "Angel in Your Arms" and Merle Haggard's "If You're Not Back in Love by Monday" (which was a number two country hit for Haggard and a number five R&B hit for Jackson). While Hot's original version of "Angel in Your Arms" was slick R&B/pop and crossed over to adult contemporary audiences, Jackson's gritty remake is hardcore soul. From the explicit to the not so explicit, Feelin' Bitchy is among Jackson's finest albums.~Alex Henderson