Black Magic (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas album)

Black Magic
Studio album by Martha and the Vandellas
Released	March 3, 1972
Recorded	1971
Genre	Soul
Length	mm:ss
Label	Gordy
Producer	Johnny Bristol, The Corporation; Henry Cosby, Jimmy Roach, Ashford & Simpson; Lawrence Brown & George Gordy
Martha and the Vandellas chronology
Natural Resources (1970) Black Magic (1972) Anthology (1974)
Singles from Black Magic
"Bless You / Hope I Don't Get My Heart Broke" Released: September 14, 1971 "In and Out of My Life / Your Love Makes It All Worthwhile" Released: December 16, 1971 "Tear It On Down / I Want You Back" Released: May 23, 1972

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Rolling Stone	(mixed) [1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Black Magic is a soul album released by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas on the Gordy (Motown) label in 1972. It is the last studio album issued by the group after ten years with the label. The album is significant for featuring the group's biggest hit of the decade with the Jackson 5-esque "Bless You". The track returned the Vandellas to chart success briefly in the US reaching number fifty-three pop, number twenty-nine R&B and reaching number thirty-three on the UK pop singles chart. It was also a top twenty hit in Canada reaching number sixteen on the chart, and a top ten single in Puerto Rico, where it reached the number two position. Two other subsequent singles, "In and Out of My Life" and "Tear It on Down", were the trio's last Billboard charted hits reaching the top 40 on the R&B charts. After this album, the trio later disbanded that December ending the group's ten-year tenure together. Martha Reeves recalls many of the tracks on the album were originally assigned to Diana Ross before being reassigned to the group.

Track listing

1. "No One There" (Johnny Bristol, Jack Goga, Annette Minor, Peter Green)
2. "Your Love Makes It All Worthwhile" (Berry Gordy, Jr., Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards)
3. "Something" (George Harrison) (Previously released on album Natural Resources)
4. "Benjamin" (Dino Fekaris, Nick Zesses)
5. "Tear It on Down" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson)
6. "I've Given You the Best of My Life" (Dino Fekaris, Nick Zesses, Jack Goga)
7. "Bless You" (Berry Gordy, Jr., Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards)
8. "I Want You Back" (Berry Gordy, Jr., Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards)
9. "In and Out of My Life" (Lawrence Brown)
10. "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
11. "Hope I Don't Get My Heart Broke" (Lawrence Brown, George Gordy, Allen Story)

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Martha Reeves
• Background vocals by Lois Reeves and Sandra Tilley
• Album coordination by Harry Balk
• Produced by Johnny Bristol (tracks 1 & 6), The Corporation (tracks 2, 7, 8 & 10), Henry Cosby (track 3), Jimmy Roach (track 4), Ashford & Simpson (track 5), and George Gordy & Lawrence Brown (tracks 9 & 11).
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and assorted Los Angeles musicians
• Additional vocals by The Andantes
• Art direction by Curtis McNair
• Graphic supervision by Tom Schlesinger
• Photography by Raffaelli

References

1. link to Rolling Stone
2. Black Magic (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas album) at AllMusic