In my limited exposure to soul, this album has been singular in consistency and emotional resonance. Though the story of the album concerns a woman desperately lost in life, the production is beautifully varied in mood. Doris Duke herself demands attention with a voice simultaneously powerful and always warning of shattering (if you'll forgive the strange, strange comparison, it is the same captivating balance which Max Varnier struck on
Last Tape Before Doomsday). The general sentiment of the album is one of melancholy but it is executed by sensible musicians whose restraint and good taste keep this from being kitsch.
I don't know if I'm better off alive or dead
