Barbara Mason – The Lost 80s Session

Barbara Mason – The Lost 80s Session

Barbara Mason is a singer and songwriter who is notable for her one-of-kind approach to soul and R&B. She can most definitely stand together with the greatest names on the scene. Her songs encapsulate the style and feel of some of the most prolific periods for soul and R&B.

Barbara Mason emerged in the 60s with some era-defining studio hits that still embody the spirit of some of the best early R&B. The artist continued to excel throughout the 1970s, broadening her audience and even going as far as far as collaborating with legendary artists such as Curtis Mayfield. This was also a very eclectic time for Barbara Mason, who further expanded her sound to feature elements of disco music, in line with the trends at the time. However, Barbara Mason didn’t stop in the 80s, working on new material that combined her soulful and compelling vocals with a groundbreaking production approach.

Her retrospective album, The Lost 80s Session, actually features some lost recordings from some sessions in the 1980s. Listening to this record is quite an amazing experience. It feels like unearthing a time capsule, and it will take the audience back to the intimacy of those studio sessions, almost diving deeper into the artist’s creative process. On the album, there is room for Barbara Mason’s explosive rendition of tracks such as “Love and Happiness,” originally made famous by Al Green.

What’s impressive about the production of the record is that it provides a really interesting window into that very special moment in the mid-1980s, in which the general public was rediscovering the blues and R&B sounds of the 60s. The huge success of the movie “The Blues Brothers” was quite responsible for this revival of sorts, paving the way for many of the greatest in the scene to come back with a bang (i.e., Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton…) but also allowing new performers to stand out and establish a whole new line of great R&B and blues-inspired music (i.e., Stevie Ray Vaughn, Whitney Houston…) The production value and the flow of these sessions is really in line with that unique 80s take on the 60s sounds, and it offers a very unique perspective of a special moment in the artist’s career.

Listen to the Barbara Mason on Casavinyl – The Lost 80s Sessions EP

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