I'm approaching this album as a David Bowie lunatic fan. And beyond that, more likely through a Mick Ronson (Bowie's guitarist in the Ziggy years) connection. Annette Peacock released an album in January 1972 called "I'm The One" on RCA Records. In 1974, Ronson made his first album. On that record, he did a version of two Peacock tunes, "I'm The One," Seven Days (released as a b-side on a single)," and oddly enough, Elvis’s' "Love Me Tender," which is more of a cover of Annette Peacock's version of the Elvis classic. So many years later, it was astonishing to hear Peacock's album.
When hearing I’m The One now, one can listen to slight traces of the Bowie/Ronson sound, but also Mike Garson, the long-term keyboard player for Bowie, also appears on this album. Perhaps before his association with Bowie? Nevertheless, it can be just a matter of taste, but I believe there is a link between this album and the world of Bowie. Besides the obvious, like the Ronson connection, this is a solid soulful, jazzy avant- pop with a unique way of handling a Moog. Great jazz players on this album, like her husband at the time, Paul Bley, makes this a fascinating listen. The first minute or two of the title song is simply majestic due to its orchestration, and it reminds me a bit of Bowie's "Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)." Not surprising because this is music, once heard, will stick in your DNA for a while. And it's like three different tunes wrapped in this one song. And again, the arrangement is multi-textural. The Moog playing with the horns and the voice (which I believe she sings through the Moog) is both soulful and futuristic, in that 70s sense sound. There is likewise a Nina Simone touch throughout the album. A perfect hybrid of jazz, songwriting, pop, Brazilian music, and avant-garde flourishes here and there.
And again, it's enchanting that Mick Ronson covers three songs from this album on his first solo effort. Ronson is, for sure, a musician who loves arrangements. And this album is about jazz orchestration and being off-kilter pop—an excellent record.
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Although certainly a huge fan of Bowie/Ronson, I came to her earlier via her work with favorite jazz icon Albert Ayler, and her husbands bassist Gary Peacock and pianist Paul Bley (as you mention, and later married to the great composer Carla Bley). I also loved her work with Bill Bruford.