As a member of the extended family of funk group Zapp, Shirley Murdock memorably added her vocals to the 1986 hit "Computer Love" (for which she also shares a co-writing credit).  Concurrently, Murdock was launching her own solo career at Elektra Records, where she would release three solo LPs through 1991.  Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has revisited and expanded that trio of albums on As We Lay: The Elektra Recordings (1985-1991), a new 3-CD collection that's an essential addition to any soul, R&B, or gospel shelf.

Shirley Murdock was, like her inspiration Aretha Franklin, raised in the church and ready to pursue a career in gospel.  But a chance connection through Shirley's cousin, a friend of Zapp's Roger and Larry Troutman, led her to the secular arena.  Roger placed Shirley on the extended remix of "Girl, Cut It Out" from his 1984 solo album The Saga Continues... (the album version had Wanda Rash instead) and soon she became an integral member of the Zapp organization.  Roger oversaw Shirley's eponymous debut for Elektra, sister label to Zapp's home of Warner Bros. Records.  The album, released in late 1985 and heavily promoted in early 1986, was a showcase for Murdock's alternately earthy and ethereal voice, capable one moment of gospel fervor and the next of light airiness recalling the likes of Deniece Williams.

Shirley Murdock! (note the exclamation point) was primarily an uptempo album, and the first single, "No More," placed at a respectable No. 24 on the U.S. R&B chart.  But the thumping slice of dance-soul and its similar follow-up, "Truth or Dare," were eclipsed by the third single.  The ballad "As We Lay," penned by Larry Troutman and Billy Beck, was in the tried-and-true R&B vein of "a cheating song," as Shirley describes it to author Tim Dillinger in this set's liner notes.  But she saw it differently: "I didn't just want to put out a cheating song.  If you make a mistake, what is the moral? What is the reality? I said I would sing it if I could add lyrics."  Her bridge made it clear that there are consequences to infidelity, and listeners picked up on the message.  The shimmering "As We Lay" earned Shirley a top five R&B hit, and Elektra cannily followed it up with another slow-burner, "Go On Without You," which reached the same No. 5 spot.  The fifth and final single, the floor-filling declaration of independence "Be Free," fared less well but it hardly mattered; "As We Lay" and "Go On Without You" had established Shirley as a dynamic, passionate presence.  The former was ranked Billboard's No. 3 Top Black Single of the year, while the album was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA.  Six bonus remixes and extended versions have been appended to this presentation though collectors should hold onto SoulMusic's 2-CD expanded edition from 2019 which boasts numerous additional bonuses including material with Zapp and Roger.

Shirley reunited with the Troutmans for her second solo set, 1988's A Woman's Point of View.  As the title indicated, the songs were personal, and Shirley had four songwriting credits including the solo compositions "(Everybody Wants) Somethin' for Nothin'" and "I Still Love You."  (She had written or co-written five tracks on the debut LP.)  Billy Beck and Larry Troutman's "Husband" was another kind of cheating song, with Shirley as the woman who discovers her man is married and then confronts the decision she needs to make.  It became her third single to reach No. 5 R&B.  Murdock's assertive, empowered persona shone through on A Woman's Point of View as she endeavored to present her many sides.  "Instrument of Praise," by Shirley and Dale DeGroat, returned the singer to her gospel roots; Degroat is also featured on the touching Zapp cover "Spend My Whole Life."  Murdock and Degroat married mere weeks following the LP's release.  Another perhaps more unexpected highlight was Shirley's stirring reading of Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger's powerful "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the 1982 musical Dreamgirls.  The thunderous anthem's Broadway originator, Tony- and Grammy-winning Jennifer Holliday, had earlier taken it to the top of the R&B charts but Murdock's rendition subtly updated Eyen and Krieger's intense showstopper with synthesizers and drum programming not to mention a new vocal arrangement at the song's climax.  Single versions of "Husband" and "Found My Way" as well as an extended version of "Oh What a Feeling" have been added here.

With Shirley's busy touring schedule, her third and final Elektra LP, Let There Be Love!, didn't arrive until 1991.  Shirley and Dale co-wrote more than half of the album's tracks, with Larry and Roger Troutman once again contributing.  While the songs on A Woman's Point of View were personal in nature, they were still, by and large, songs sung in character.  The compositions on Let There Be Love! were more reflective of Murdock's own point of view.  Musically, she once again balanced all of the disparate elements in her music including dance, funk, gospel, and soul balladry.  The creamy, impassioned ballad "In Your Eyes" returned her to the top ten of the R&B survey while the throbbing title track, a moderate R&B and Dance chart success, urged for a more compassionate world.  The smooth slow jam "Stay with Me Tonight" also made a welcome appearance on the R&B top 40.  One bonus track is included: a fine cover of The Clark Sisters' crossover gospel hit "You Brought the Sunshine," Shirley's contribution to an Elektra 40th anniversary collection.

Roger and Larry Troutman died in a 1999 murder-suicide in which Larry took his brother's life before killing himself.  This shocking turn of events led Shirley to turn away from music for a number of years even as younger artists were discovering her small but significant body of work.  Shirley has concentrated on gospel in the 21st century with such successful albums as Home, Soulfood, and Live: The Journey even as she continues to keep the legacy of Zapp alive onstage.

As We Lay: The Elektra Recordings (1985-1991) is housed within an eight-panel digipak and includes a 24-page booklet with track credits and an exemplary essay from SoulMusic's Editorial Content Manager and the set's co-producer, Tim Dillinger.  The notes draw on new interviews with Shirley Murdock and Dale DeGroat, and place Murdock's Elektra discography in context of her wider career as well as the music landscape of the era.  Donald Cleveland has remastered the audio for this release.  This loving tribute to a singular and inspirational artist is available now from Cherry Red and SoulMusic Records.

Shirley Murdock, As We Lay: The Elektra Recordings (1985-1991) (Cherry Red/SoulMusic QSMCR-5204T, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Shirley Murdock! (Elektra LP 9 60443-1, 1985)

1. Be Free
2. No More
3. Go On Without You
4. Truth or Dare
5. Danger Zone
6. Teaser
7. As We Lay
8. The One I Need
9. Tribute
10. Be Free (Sexy Sax Thang Mix) (Elektra 12-inch single ED 5242, 1987)
11. No More (Extended Mix) (Elektra 12-inch single 0-66865, 1986)
12. Go On Without You (Vocal/Extended Mix) (Elektra 12-inch single 0-66814, 1985)
13. Truth or Dare (European Mix) (Elektra 12-inch single 0-66835, 1986)
14. As We Lay (Midnight Mix) (Elektra 12-inch single ED 5170, 1986)
15. Tribute (Extended Mix) (Elektra 12-inch single ED 5196, 1986)

CD 2: A Woman's Point of View (Elektra LP 9 60791-1, 1988)

1. Husband
2. (Everybody Wants) Somethin' for Nothin'
3. Found My Way
4. If I Know
5. A Woman's Point of View
6. Oh What a Feeling
7. I Still Love You
8. Spend My Whole Life - with Dale DeGroat
9. Modern Girl
10. And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
11. Instrument of Praise
12. Husband (Single Edit) (Elektra single 7-69396, 1988)
13. Found My Way (Single Edit) (Elektra single 7-69337, 1988)
14. Oh What a Feeling (Extended Version) (Elektra 12-inch single 0-66736, 1988)

CD 3: Let There Be Love! (Elektra LP 9 60951-2, 1991)

1. In Your Eyes
2. Stay with Me Tonight
3. Let There Be Love!
4. Say It, Mean It
5. The Last Hurrah
6. We Should Be Together
7. Anywhere
8. Everywhere
9. Heavenly
10. Save the Children
11. You Brought the Sunshine (from Rubaiyat (Elektra's 40th Anniversary), Elektra CD 9 60940-2, 1990)