RIP FRANKIE BEVERLY

An underappreciated giant of post-60s soul

In the post-70s era of soul music Frankie Beverly was the underappreciated star. Perhaps because he never had a real pop hit, Beverly and his great band Maze never got the mainstream commercial or critical attention he deserved. Beverly had one of the smoothest voices in the game, yet could slip in grit when necessary. At his late '70s, early '80s peak Beverly was adored by black audiences for his voice, songwriting and graceful stage presence. He and Maze were the closing band at the Essence Festival in New Orleans for many years and each appearence was as spiritual as secular music gets. The 'Live in New Orleans' LP from the early '80s is one a document of a love affair between a singer and an audience. This is my Village Voice review of it from 1981.