''Devil's Got Your Tongue'' is the fifteenth album by

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

, and her third for

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

. It was released on October 13, 1992. The album peaked at number two on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Jazz Albums chart on April 10, 1993.

Critical reception

A reviewer for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated: "Her interpretive skills and emotional commitment to the material are such that she can even take on a familiar standard like 'A Child Is Born' and make it her own. It's gratifying to see a major jazz label allowing Lincoln's musical vision to flourish and grow." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' wrote: "Vocally and musically, the material is too dense, almost as if she is trying to recapture the contours of the old Candid sessions, but not recognizing that modern recording and production will tend to swamp arrangements like this."

Track listing

Musicians

– vocals *

Rodney Kendrick Rodney Kendrick (born April 30, 1960) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He has been described as a "hard swinging player and composer with a delightful Thelonious Monk, Monkish wit and drive". Career At twenty-one, Kendr ...

– piano *

Marcus McLaurine Marcus McLaurine (born May 7, 1952) is an American jazz bassist, composer, and educator. Biography McLaurine was born on May 7, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska.

– bass *

Grady Tate Grady Tate (January 14, 1932 – October 8, 2017) was an American jazz and soul-jazz drummer and baritone vocalist. In addition to his work as sideman, Tate released many albums as leader and lent his voice to songs in the animated '' Schoolhou ...

– drums (tracks 2–4, 10–11) *

Yoron Israel Yoron Dael Israel (born November 24, 1963, Chicago) is an American jazz drummer. Israel learned to play organ and trumpet as a child, then switched to drums. As a high school student, he played in an R&B group led by his uncle. He took his bachel ...

– drums (tracks 1, 5, 6, 8–9) * James Louis "J.J." Johnson – trombone (tracks 2, 4, 10) *

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

– tenor saxophone (tracks 5, 8, 10–11) *Maxine Roach – viola (tracks 2, 6) *

Babatunde Olatunji Michael Babatunde Olatunji (April 7, 1927 – April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist. Early life Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Niger ...

– Ngoma, Djembe, Ashiko & Shekere drums (track 7) *Kehinde O'Uhuru – Ashiko drum (track 7) *Sule O'Uhuru – Agogô bells, Djembe (track 7) *Gordy Ryan – Jun-jun drum (track 7) *

The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21 ...

– backing vocals **Pops Staples, Mavis Staples, Cleotha Staples *The Noel Singers – backup singers **Ivan Archer, Giselle Brown, Queinton Caesar, Ronnie David, Shelby Ellis, Daylene Hunt, Clevie Jordan, Marie Leveque, Lucila Martinez, Jason Moses, Gregory Norman, Leigh-Ann Oadmore, Aleata Prince, Natasha Reeves, Tiffany Rivera, Linda Sanchez, Joann Santiago Sherrille Shabazz, Chante Slater, Karen Thompson, Teddy Turrene, Merlene West, Tasha Woodward

Production

*Producer – Jean-Philippe Allard *Engineer (First Engineer) – Rick Applegate *Engineer (Second Engineer) –

Jay Newland Jay Newland is an American music producer, engineer and mixer, perhaps best known for his work with Norah Jones on her 2002 debut album ''Come Away with Me'', one of the best-selling albums of all time, with 27 million units sold worldwide to da ...

*Engineer (Assistant Engineer) – Doug McKean *Engineer (Assistant Engineer) – Sandy Palmer Track information and credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Charts

References

{{authority control 1992 albums Abbey Lincoln albums Verve Records albums