By DONNA BALANCIA
Martha Reeves has released her first album in more than 20 years called “Searching,” a collection the musical icon said is all about love. The legendary voice behind Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, the songstress helped define the sound of Motown and American popular music with timeless classics including “Dancing in the Street,” “Heat Wave,” “Jimmy Mack,” and “Nowhere to Run.” Today, at 85, Martha proves her influence is as strong as ever. Her album is out and one of the singles off the record, “To Know You is to Love You” has just cracked the Top 5 on the dance charts.
US Rocker sat down for an interview with Martha and producer Chris Roe to hear about her inspiration and the experience of working with producer Delfeayo Marsalis.
USR How does it feel to know you’re inspiring people?
MR That’s part of the job as a singer performer. I’m just a messenger and I carry messages of love. And I make sure that songs are about love before I even accept to sing them. And I’ve been blessed with some wonderful writers and producers, and I have come up with a, with a wonderful, wonderful album product
USR When you say messages of love how do you get inspired? How did you get inspired to write the songs and create the music on the album?
MR I think about the love of God and how I’m saved by grace, how I’m a messenger I’ve been uh with Motown since 61, 62, spreading messages of love. Berry Gordy said he’d get the sound of young America. What America needs is love and unity and we’re the leaders of the universe and I’m proud to be part of the ones spreading the message of love.
USR Do you think that relations are improving among people today or is it, do you think we’re about at the same place we were in the 60s?
MR I’ve just recorded a song and it seems Delfeayo Marsalis read my mind and my heart by giving me a song called “Searching.” I’m searching, as I have always been, for my mate. I guess everyone is secretly in their heart hoping and searching for their mate that makes them whole and this album is supplying me with a whole lot of solutions for things that I have been working on. So I’m continuing and I’m glad to say that life is good and I’ve been blessed with miracles, and I call it “Searching.” The miracle in my life right now is Chris Roe and Delfeayo Marsalis and the album “Searching.” It’s answering a lot of questions for me and it’s showing a lot of talent that I’ve learned from the lessons that I’ve gotten.
USR Chris, how did you get involved, was this your concept?
CR It’s really important for people to understand that the original concept for this album was a jazz album. That’s what we were going for. And I was in Dallas, Texas at a film festival, and I was a juror. I went to see a screening of a documentary on Ellis Marsalis and afterwards I got a chance to meet Delfeayo Marsalis at an after party and I approached him and asked him if he would be interested in producing an album with myself for Martha Reeves. I don’t know that he took me seriously at first because in this business a lot of people ask you to do things or say things but they never follow through for a variety of different reasons and then I said, “I’m gonna be down in New Orleans in three weeks,” of course he lives there. I said, “Let’s get together, let’s talk.” So I flew in, met with him, we kind-of sketched out a plan.
Three months later, he flies to Detroit, meets with Martha in late August. Beginning of October, we get together to just play around and sing together. By the end of October, we’re doing a series of dates, including in Baltimore, Md, at a jazz club there. And then three weeks later, November of 2023, we go into the studio and so it started to really take a life of its own. It organically went that way, so we kind-of evolved from jazz and went to jazz, R&B, blues, and gospel. And so, I’m really happy with that. The whole idea was “Motown-Meets-The Big Easy.”
USR Martha, how has music changed in the last 20 years from your perspective?
MR I’m, I’m not a critic, I’m just a participant and I’m loving what’s happening with me today. I’ve gone to a studio in New Orleans and met with the Marsalis family, in their dad’s studio. The Ellis Marsalis studio is a university. They bus children in every day and teach them how to be the genius that they are, this phone is actually on top. They can’t hear it.
USR Working with Delfeayo Marsalis must have been a great experience. What a family.
MR They have three of the most magnificent horn players in the industry and they’re teaching, which is the benefit of my being able to go to New Orleans. I didn’t really know anyone. I had seen the Marsalis family in concert here in our Detroit Symphony Orchestra, but I’d never been that close to them. They’re musicians. They have a league of musicians that they call on for different sessions and different artists, and they’re just creating so much wonderful music. I’m excited to have been chosen as someone to go to New Orleans and be in their presence at their studio.
MR It was a learning and a teaching experience. I’m trying not to, to brag too much, but I’m excited. We’ve worked hard on this album and the results are fantastic.
USR How do you maintain your strong vocal and energetic performances?
MR Well, it’s all about love of music and having the ability. It’s a job. It’s not something you can put down and pick up. You have to keep it tuned. You have to keep your instrument tuned, and that’s what I’ve learned to do every day of my life. I sing a song to the Lord and I praise Him and thank Him for the gift.
USR So, Chris, what’s the latest?
CR We decided to do a dance remix because I really wanted to introduce Martha to a younger age demographic and so “To Know You Is to Love You,” we did a dance, uh, remix of that. It was released on July 17th and three weeks ago we debuted on the Music Week dance charts in the UK at number 31. Then we jumped to number 21, and then we jumped to number 16. So now hit the top 20, and that is very exciting because the people who were driving that are in their late teens, 20s, and 30s who are out there dancing, so look at that.
The digital edition of “Searching” is out now, and is available for vinyl and CD orders now.
