Minnie Riperton - Come to My Garden

Beautiful Sound in This Garden

I love Minnie Ripertons voice. It's too bad she wasn't given more high quality song arrangements to sing in her lifetime. There are standouts in her career, don't get me wrong, but that voice deserved more. This album is very good if you already like Minnie Riperton. It is in an R&B genre with just a little tilting toward art Rock. As a fan backtracking thru her career I was a little disapointed because I didn't find any big wows on this album. It's uniformly good, but nothing stands out to me. I have to be in certain moods for it. So if your a Riperton fan this will probably satisfy you, but it is not a keeper on general greatest albums lists. The voice is beautiful, enjoy as much of it as you can. November 4, 2008

Minnie's peak

I knew of Minnie Riperton originally through her earlier career with Rotary Connection. I bought this CD after hearing one cut on YouTube, "Memory Band" (which is also on a Rotary Connection album, but in a different version). "Come To My Garden" is an amazing album... in my opinion, it's the peak of Minnie's abilities. The songs are haunting, mysterious, soulful, beautiful. January 19, 2008

Beautiful Material

Highlights for me on this album are
Les Fleur
Come To My Garden
Wherever, Wherever
Rainy Day In Centerville
It's a beautiful album.If you could not feel the passion in her voice you absolutely have no soul! July 3, 2007

Minnie rips into Dionne's world.

The solo debut of Minnie Riperton is perhaps the best attempt at copying the classic Dionne sound. The recording was produced by Charles Stephney,
Chess Record label producer who would later work with Earth, Wind & Fire.
From beginiing to end the LP sounds like a tribute to the musical genius of Burt Bacharach with vocals inspired by Dionne Warwick. Minnie, ofcourse
goes to heights that Warwick never could reach. Still, Stephney guided her to mimic Dionne in her vocal delivery. At the time of this LP's release, 1969, Warwick was the leading female record seller in the US. So, Stephney must have thought to give the public more of what they were already buying. The album still holds up after all these years. I suggest
buying the digially remastered version of this obscure LP. Prior releases were badly made copies from old records and audio tapes. June 24, 2007

A Lost Treasure, A Brilliant Work

I remember when I picked up this album by chance at a record store. I wasn't very knowledgable about Minnie Riperton except the mainstream hits and her later R&B, which I never really got into. This album is where Minnie's voice is used the way the gift was supposed to be - taking listeners to soaring heights, into dreamscapes, into any fantasy or concept that one can ponder upon. It is very difficult to find the words to describe this masterpiece - my attempt was probably pretty lame. But this album is such a must have for all who want to hear innovative and original music. The writing, the orchestration, and Minnie's otherwordly, highly trained, unique voice make this a complete treasure. Though Minnie is gone from us, as well as the arranger of this masterpiece Charles Stepney, they left this awesome work for all to enjoy - please add it to your collection. January 30, 2007

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