Confessin' the Blues

{{Infobox album

| name = Confessin' the Blues

| type = studio

| artist = Esther Phillips

| cover = Confessin' the Blues.jpg

| alt =

| released = 1975

| recorded = 1966, 1970

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

| length =

| label = Atlantic{{cite news |last1=Freedberg |first1=Mike |title=Soul Dog |work=Bay State Banner |issue=34 |date=31 May 1979 |page=15}}

| producer = Nesuhi Ertegun, King Curtis

| prev_title = What a Diff'rence a Day Makes

| prev_year = 1975

| next_title = For All We Know

| next_year = 1976

}}

Confessin' the Blues is an album by the American musician Esther Phillips.{{cite news |last1=Feather |first1=Leonard |title=Jazz Album Briefs |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1 Feb 1987 |department=Calendar |page=58}}{{cite news |last1=Santosuosso |first1=Ernie |title=Jazz Selection Has Never Been Better |work=The Boston Globe |date=6 Dec 1987 |page=A28}} It was released in 1975, with an Atlantic Jazzlore reissue in 1987.

The album peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard 200.{{cite book |last1=Whitburn |first1=Joel |title=Top Pop Albums |date=2010 |publisher=Record Research Inc. |page=608 |edition=7th}}

Production

The album was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and King Curtis. It is made up of two recording sessions. The first side contains big band numbers conducted by Onzy Matthews.{{cite news |last1=Brower |first1=W.A. |title=Atlantic Jazzlore |work=The Washington Informer |issue=10 |date=Dec 23, 1987 |volume=24 |page=26}} The second side was recorded with a quartet of jazz musicians at the Pied Piper Club, in Los Angeles. The songs on the first side were recorded in 1966; the songs on side two in 1970.{{cite news |last1=Moody |first1=Lois |title=Esther Phillips Confessin' the Blues |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=3 June 1988 |page=B6}} Donald Bailey played drums on some of the tracks.{{cite news |last1=Swan |first1=Rachel |title=An Old Blueprint Made New |work=East Bay Express |date=November 11, 2009 |department=Music}}

Critical reception

{{music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/confessin-the-blues-mw0000194524|title=Esther Phillips Confessin' the Blues|website=AllMusic}}

|rev2 = Robert Christgau

|rev2score = A−{{Cite web|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Esther+Phillips|title=Esther Phillips|website=Robert Christgau}}

|rev3 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

|rev3score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2006 |publisher=MUZE |volume=6 |page=519}}

|rev4 = MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide

|rev4score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite book |title=MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide |date=1998 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |page=453}}

|rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

|rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite book |title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |pages=543–544}}

}}

Robert Christgau opined that "consistent material (lots of twelve-bar) and the complete absence of violins make these sessions ... preferable to the run of her Kudu albums."

The Washington Informer called the first side "Phillips at her best, with the kind intelligently conceived support that her major talent deserved." The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "there's some gutsy, wailing playing here and great arrangements by Onzy Matthews." The Omaha World-Herald determined that "the whining sound of her voice could become somewhat irritating, but she had a way with soulful songs."{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Will |title=Premier Jazz Label From '50s, '60s Reissues 7 LPs on Atlantic Jazzlore |work=Omaha World-Herald |date=January 24, 1988 |department=Entertainment |page=SD}}

AllMusic called the closing medley "the highlight of the set, showing Phillips in a bluesy setting." The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that the performances are "amusing, bittersweet and heart-rending." The Houston Chronicle listed the album as one of the 75 essential Texas blues albums.{{cite news |last1=Dansby |first1=Andrew |title=Sounds of Texas |work=Houston Chronicle |date=September 30, 2007 |department=Zest |page=12}}