Brigette McWilliams

Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Brigitte McWilliams brought a singular vocal power and tonal richness to R&B. Her Virgin Records debut arrived in 1994 as the uneven album Take Advantage Of Me. Though soul and R&B outlets largely greeted the release with approval, she later voiced frustration at having exercised “zero creative control” over its creation. With her 1997 follow-up Too Much Woman, she sought to correct that imbalance by recruiting a core of seasoned R&B session players that featured guitarist Al McKay and keyboardist Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind And Fire, guitarist Jimmy Macon of Gap Band, bassist Bobby Watson of Rufus, and keyboardist Billy Preston. The tracks emerged from loose, informal jam sessions whose chemistry proved immediately rewarding. McWilliams supplied three originals to the set, redirecting its lyrical focus toward a woman’s perspective on relationships in place of the tired R&B conventions that had marked her first effort.