Let's hear it for Deniece Williams.  Since making her first big splash 45 years ago with debut album This is Niecy, the daughter of Gary, Indiana has scored 27 Billboard R&B hits and 14 Pop successes including two crossover Number Ones, won four Grammy Awards (and amassed another nine nominations), and recorded over fifteen albums blurring the lines between soul, pop, and gospel.  Between 1976 and 1988, Williams made Columbia Records her home, both with Maurice White's ARC imprint and with the label proper.  Working with such top-drawer producers as White, Charles Stepney, Thom Bell, Ray Parker Jr., David Foster, and others, she brought her distinctively shimmering multi-octave range to a wide array of material that's more than stood the test of time.  Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic imprint has dedicated an 8-CD box set to Williams' Columbia tenure, uniting every one of her 11 albums plus a selection of bonus tracks.  Collectively, this set illustrating why she remains an artist's artist.  Free: The Columbia/ARC Recordings 1976-1988 is out today in the U.K. and next Friday, July 2, in North America.

This is Niecy arrived on Columbia in 1976 under the imprimatur of Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire.  White and collaborators Charles Stepney and Jerry Peters crafted a sparkling record to showcase the young artist's already mature talents.  The centerpiece of This is Niecy remains this box's title track and a Williams signature song, "Free."  Co-written by Deniece (as was each track on the album), "Free" scored chart victories both in the U.S. (No. 2 R&B, No. 25 Pop) and the U.K. (No. 1 Singles).  "That's What Friends Are For" (not the Burt Bacharach song, or for that matter, the earlier Paul Williams song) and "Cause You Love Me Baby" both followed "Free" up the R&B charts, and the former even cracked the U.K. top ten.  The album introduced an individualistic voice as both singer and songwriter and led to another success with 1977's Song Bird which included such highlights as the bright and brassy groover "Baby, Baby, My Love's All for You" and the heartfelt "God is Amazing," the message of which had deep resonance for the artist.

Following Song Bird, Columbia teamed its bright new star with a label mainstay, the velvet-voiced Johnny Mathis, for a one-off single arranged by Gene Page and produced by Mathis' longtime collaborator Jack Gold.  Nat Kipner and John McIntyre Vallins' irresistible "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" took the triple crown, going all the way to No.1 on the U.S. Pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary charts.  It was the veteran artist's first chart-topper since 1957 and the first ever for Williams.  Its runaway success led to an entire album of duets, 1978's That's What Friends Are For.   "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" wasn't included on the LP, but Niecy and Johnny made up for it with originals (a Kipner/Winston Salas co-write, "I Just Can't Get Over You," a duet version of Williams' "That's What Friends Are For") and smooth R&B and Motown covers ("You're All I Need to Get By," "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)."  SoulMusic has expanded That's What Friends Are For with "Too Much..." as well as its B-side "Emotion" and a 1984 duet on Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett's sensual "Love Won't Let Me Wait."  Curiously, Mathis and Williams' warm duet on the Family Ties theme "Without Us" is absent, as are their other pairings including "Comme Ci Comme Ca" and "Aun No Es Tarde," the Spanish version of "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late."

That's What Friends Are For arrived in between Song Bird and When Love Comes Calling, Deniece's first of three LPs for Maurice White's ARC imprint.  That album, produced by David Foster and Ray Parker, Jr., yielded hits including "I Found Love" the No. 1 Club Play floor-filler "I've Got the Next Dance" as well as a lovely rendition of Peter Noone, Allee Willis, and Franne Golde's "God Knows" which Debby Boone had earlier recorded.  Foster also invited such familiar hands as Bill Champlin and Steve Lukather to sprinkle their magic on the tracks.  But ultimately, When Love Comes Calling served as prologue to the next chapter of Deniece's career, which would find her teaming with Philadelphia soul maestro Thom Bell for a pair of albums in 1981 and 1982.  It proved as engaging a collaboration as it had been with Mathis, for whom Bell had also produced two albums.

The gold-selling My Melody (1981) was co-produced by Williams and arranger-conductor Bell, and featured some of Philly's finest personnel including Bobby Eli and Don Renaldo.  It produced another signature song for Williams in the beautiful ballad "Silly" as well as the driving "It's Your Conscience," featuring Bell's swirling strings at their most evocative.  The Bell/Williams team topped that, though, with Niecy (1982) and its striking re-arrangement of The Royalettes' "It's Gonna Take a Miracle."  Their take on the Teddy Randazzo/Bob Weinstein/Lou Stallman oldie went to No. 1 R&B, No. 6 AC and No. 10 Pop.   Randazzo, like Burt Bacharach, was a songwriter greatly admired by Bell, and much as Bell's production of Bacharach's "You'll Never Get to Heaven" reinvigorated that song for The Stylistics, his and Deniece's new take of "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" invested new life in the beloved girl-group classic.

Throughout the album, Bell seamlessly and tastefully integrated the sound of a synthesizer into his lush, symphonic soundscapes.  Adding to its timeless yet up-to-the-minute sound, he recorded Williams with a live rhythm section, quite anomalous for a production circa 1982.  Even that rhythm section itself was surprising; Bell enlisted a cadre of fresh faces to augment the familiar Philly veterans.  Williams wrote every track on the album save "Miracle," and four of her compositions were co-written with Bell.  In addition to "Miracle," Niecy introduced the mesmerizing pop-soul singles "Waiting for the Hotline" and just-plain "Waiting."

Following her close collaborations with Maurice White and Thom Bell, Denice enlisted producer (and accomplished artist in his own right) George Duke as one of the helmers of 1983's I'm So Proud.  Accomplished in every genre from straight-ahead jazz to avant-rock, Duke was traveling on his own path towards commercial pop when he paired with Deniece.  They delivered a Top 10 R&B hit as writers and producers with the gleaming "Do What You Feel."  The success of the LP would ultimately lead to Duke's next project with Williams: a little song by Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow called "Let's Hear It for the Boy" for the film Footloose.  While he initially rejected the bubbly anthem, Williams persisted.

Supplementing Duke's work, Williams and Bill Neale co-produced the title song of I'm So Proud, a new interpretation of Curtis Mayfield's 1964 Impressions classic.  "I'm So Proud" became a minor hit in Williams' hands, and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" soared to No. 1 Pop, R&B, and Dance.  It also lent its title to Deniece's next LP.   The Let's Hear It for the Boy album also introduced Niecy's affecting recording of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "Black Butterfly."

Deniece's chart popularity cooled off somewhat after the phenomenon of Let's Hear It for the Boy, but the quality of her recording output certainly did not.  She explored new avenues on her final trilogy of albums for Columbia: Hot on the Trail (1986), Water Under the Bridge (1987), and As Good As It Gets (1988).  (Also in 1986, she released her Christian music debut for Sparrow Records, So Glad I Know.  It wasn't released on a Columbia label and is not a part of this box set.)

Collaborators during the 1986-1988 period included Culture Club producer Steve Levine, Greg Mathieson, Jay Gruska, and The Time's Monte Moir.  Not every match was an ideal one; Deniece tells Justin Kantor in his comprehensive liner notes for this set that "[Water] producer Steve Levine did an incredible job with Culture Club but it wasn't the best situation for me and my music.  I'm pretty sure it was slightly painful for him as well."  Water did spin off the R&B and Dance hit "Never Say Never," however.  Deniece acknowledged to Kantor that her Columbia swansong, As Good As It Gets, wasn't easy due to the presence of multiple producers.  While that was de rigeur in the eighties, it's clear that a one-on-one relationship with a co-producer served her best.  All said, though, Gets might not be as good as her best work, but it's no slouch, either.  Guest appearances by Kirk Franklin and Philip Bailey, and its trio of spiritual songs all brought out the best in the singer.  A curio worth mentioning is Williams' energetic cover of Michael Jackson's "We Are Here to Change the World," an uplifting dancer originally co-written and performed by the King of Pop for George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola's Disney theme park spectacular Captain EO.

Free: The Columbia/ARC Recordings 1976-1988 is produced by SoulMusic's David Nathan and packaged in the same format as the label's other deluxe album collections such as Dionne Warwick's Déjà Vu: The Arista Recordings 1979-1994.  Each disc (containing one or two albums) is in its own sleeve.  The front and back covers of each album as well as labels are reproduced at a small size on both sides of the sleeve.

The main attraction is the thick, 48-page booklet with Justin Kantor's excellent essay drawing on interviews with Deniece Williams, Johnny Mathis, Nathan East, Bill Neale, Greg Mathieson, Monte Moir, and other of Niecy's musical compatriots.  Discographical annotation and credits are also included, though the format isn't the easiest to follow with some, but not all, songwriting credits placed on a separate page rather than under each song or album.  Nick Robbins has done his customarily fine job of remastering.

Longtime fans should hold onto their previous expanded editions from Funky Town Grooves and Cherry Red sister imprint Big Break Records as well as Big Break's 2016 Black Butterfly anthology, as almost a dozen bonus tracks from those CDs have not been carried over to this collection, including the short single version of "Free" and single version of "That's What Friends Are For" (This Is Niecy); the single mix of "I've Got the Next Dance" (When Love Is Calling); the single versions of "Waiting" and "How Does It Feel" (Niecy); the 12-inch and single versions of "Heaven in Your Eyes" and single version of "I'm So Proud" (I'm So Proud); the instrumentals of "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and "Next Love" (Let's Hear It for the Boy); the instrumental "Wiser and Weaker" (Hot on the Trail); and the single version of "I Confess" (Water Under the Bridge).  The box does add the long-unavailable 12-inch mix of "I Can't Wait" from As Good As It Gets.

In recent years, Deniece Williams has continued to perform in the secular and gospel arenas.  Her most recent secular studio album, 2007's Love, Niecy Style, was recorded with Philadelphia veteran Bobby Eli (who played on her Thom Bell sessions), and one hopes that the new decade might bring a new album from Niecy after such a long absence.  In the meantime, we have this superlative chronicle of her remarkable career's first chapter to savor.

Deniece Williams, Free: The Columbia/ARC Recordings 1976-1988 (Cherry Red/SoulMusic SMCR5199BX (U.K.), 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Disc 1: This is Niecy and Song Bird

1. It's Important to Me
2. That's What Friends Are For
3. How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away
4. Cause You Love Me Baby
5. Free
6. Watching Over
7. If You Don't Believe
8. Time
9. The Boy I Left Behind
10. We Have Love for You
11. God is Amazing
12. Baby, Baby My Love's All for You
13. Season
14. Be Good to Me
15. The Paper

Tracks 1-7 released as Columbia PC 34242, 1976
Tracks 8-15 released as Columbia JC 34911, 1977

Disc 2: Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, That's What Friends Are For: Expanded Edition

1. You're All I Need to Get By
2. Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
3. You're a Special Part of My Life
4. Ready or Not
5. Me for You, You for Me
6. Your Precious Love
7. Just the Way You Are
8. That's What Friends Are For
9. I Just Can't Get Over You
10. Touching Me with Love
11. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
12. Emotion
13. Love Won't Let Me Wait

Tracks 1-10 released as Columbia JC 35435, 1978
Tracks 11-12 released as Columbia single 3-10693, 1978
Track 13 from A Special Part of Me - Columbia FC 38718, 1984

Disc 3: When Love Comes Calling and My Melody

1. I Found Love
2. Are You Thinking?
3. My Prayer
4. I've Got the Next Dance
5. Touch Me Again
6. When Love Comes Calling
7. God Knows
8. Like Magic
9. Turn Around
10. Why Can't We Fall in Love?
11. My Melody
12. It's Your Conscience
13. Silly
14. Strangers
15. What Two Can Do
16. You're All That Matters
17. Suspicious
18. Sweet Surrender

Tracks 1-10 released as ARC/Columbia JC 35568, 1979
Tracks 11-18 released as ARC/Columbia FC 37048, 1981

Disc 4: Niecy and I'm So Proud

1. Waiting by the Hotline
2. It's Gonna Take a Miracle
3. Love Notes
4. I Believe in Miracles
5. How Does It Feel
6. Waiting
7. Now is the Time for Love
8. A Part of Love
9. Do What You Feel
10. I'm So Proud
11. So Deep in Love (Duet with Johnny Mathis)
12. I'm Glad It's You
13. Heaven in Your Eyes
14. They Say
15. Love, Peace and Unity
16. It's Okay

Tracks 1-8 released as ARC/Columbia FC 37952, 1982
Tracks 9-16 released as Columbia FC 38622, 1983

Disc 5: Let's Hear It for the Boy and Hot on the Trail

1. Let's Hear It for the Boy
2. I Want You
3. Picking Up the Pieces
4. Black Butterfly
5. Next Love
6. Haunting Me
7. Don't Tell Me We Have Nothing
8. Blind Dating
9. Wrapped Up
10. Whiter Than Snow
11. Wiser and Weaker
12. Hot on the Trail
13. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
14. Video
15. I Feel the Night
16. We're Together
17. Straight from the Heart
18. Healing

Tracks 1-10 released as Columbia FC 39366, 1984
Tracks 11-18 released as Columbia FC 40084, 1986

Disc 6: Water Under the Bridge (Columbia FC 40486, 1987)

1. I Confess
2. Never Say Never
3. Water Under the Bridge
4. Love Finds You
5. Not by Chance
6. One Less Lonely Heart
7. I Believe in You
8. Someone for Someone
9. Baby This is Love
10. Don't Blame It on My Heart

Disc 7: As Good As It Gets (Columbia FC 44322, 1988)

1. I Can't Wait
2. This is As Good As It Gets
3. We Are Here to Change the World
4. All I Need
5. Memories
6. There's No Other
7. I Am Sure
8. It's You I'm After
9. Don't Stop the Love
10. Hold Me Tight

Disc 8: Bonus Tracks

1. Free (Long Single Version)
2. Baby Baby My Love's All for You (Promotional Single Version)
3. Silly (Single Version)
4. It's Your Conscience (Single Version)
5. It's Gonna Take a Miracle (Single Version)
6. Do What You Feel (Single Version)
7. It's Okay (Single Version)
8. I Found Love (12" Disco Mix)
9. I've Got the Next Dance (12" Disco Mix)
10. Let's Hear It for the Boy (12" Version)
11. Next Love (12" Version)
12. Wiser and Weaker (12" Extended Version)
13. Never Say Never (12" Extended Version)
14. I Confess (12" Dance Mix)
15. I Can't Wait (12" Version)

Track 1 released on Columbia single 3-10429, 1976
Track 2 released on Columbia single 3-10648, 1977
Track 3 released on ARC/Columbia single 18-02406, 1981
Track 4 released on ARC/Columbia single 11-02108, 1981
Track 5 released on ARC/Columbia single 18-02812, 1982
Track 6 released on Columbia single 38-03807, 1983
Track 7 released on "I'm So Proud" single - Columbia 38-04037, 1983
Track 8 released on ARC/Columbia 12" 43-11141, 1979
Track 9 released on ARC/Columbia 12" 23-10991, 1979
Track 10 released on Columbia 12" 44-04988, 1984
Track 11 released on Columbia 12" 44-05043, 1984
Track 12 released on Columbia 12" 44-05918, 1986
Track 13 released on Columbia 12" 44-06761, 1987
Track 14 released on Columbia 12" 44-06929, 1987
Track 15 released on Columbia 12" 44-07889, 1988