Review Summary: see: album title
The 1970’s must have been interesting for Minnie Riperton, to say the least. The first half of the decade saw her marriage to producer Richard Rudolph, she gave birth to her second child Maya, and she had a huge hit with “Lovin’ You”. So entering 1975, by all appearances, the singer seemed to be firing on all cylinders. It was around this time she discovered she had breast cancer that she would succumb to before the 80s rolled around. But by no means was she done being Minnie Riperton.
Her 1975 release Adventures in Paradise had her teaming up once again with husband Richard Rudolph on guitar and production duties, but also Larry Carlton of Steely Dan fame. In his capacity as a composer and arranger, Adventures in Paradise takes off with lush orchestrations to compliment the smooth stylings of R&B and funk she was by then known for. More upbeat forays like “When It Comes Down To It” are brought up with boisterous horns and piano while the epitome of double entendre that is “Inside My Love” is lifted into further horny territory with small groups of smooth strings and horn accents. “Baby, This Love I Have” gives a writing credit to Leon Ware, a collaborator of The Jackson 5, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye.
Disco was hotter than ever in the mid-70s, but Minnie kept forging her path with party down jams, simple soul, and even the questionably experimental (“Minnie’s Lament”). Minnie herself is in top form, weaving her voice in and out of her whistling opera, disco waling, and velvet vibrato. The diversity of songs in both her performances and the instrumentation and styles seems appropriate for where she was at that point in her life. “Love and It’s Glory” even mentions a girl named Maya in a nod to her only daughter.
Minnie and her camp already showed their penchant for flair and big moments as demonstrated in songs like “Les Fleurs” (from Come To My Garden), but Adventures in Paradise not only has more polish for these moments, but added detail to the mellow moments and complex richness to bigger ensembles. Adventures in Paradise couldn’t have been named more aptly.
