Recorded at Wally Heider 3, L.A. , Davlen Recorders, North Hollywood and Kendum Recorders, Burbank
Originally released in 1976
Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s.
She left Wonder in 1975 and after signing to Columbia Records, she teamed up with two famed producers: Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, and his frequent collaborator, Charles Stepney. Her 1976 debut album entitled This Is Niecy was released. The single \"Free\" reached number 2 on the Black Singles chart, number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 1 on the British Singles chart. The album also featured \"Cause You Love Me Baby\" (which charted separately on the R&B chart as the flip side of \"Free\") and \"That's What Friends Are For\".
Deniece Williams has a four octave range and distinctive soprano voice. Her vocal range was also pointed out by The New York Times, \"Miss Williams mounted a spectacular vocal display in which her penetrating, feline soprano soared effortlessly to E flat above high C, and she worked various vowel sounds into prolonged feats of vocal gymnastics.
In pointing to Williams's similar vocal ability as her former musical icon and colleague (Minnie Riperton), Mark Anthony Neal, in referencing Jill Scott's agility in displaying vocal acrobatics, states, \"Scott draws on her upper register recalling the artistry of the late Minnie Riperton and \"songbird\" Deniece Williams.\" According to Monica Haynes of Post-Gazette.com, Williams \"has the kind of range that would make Mariah Carey quiver\".