Album Review: Rita Coolidge's 'Safe in the Arms of Time'

Robert Neil Speaks with...

Rita Coolidge was one of the staples of Top 40 and Adult Contemporary radio in the 1970s and early 1980s. She’s back with a new album entitled 'Safe in the Arms of Time,' which takes a unique look at love, life and relationships.

The songs on the album reflect the maturity of someone who has already gone through the highs and lows of love and is now experiencing what the emotion is like at this stage of her life. Coolidge gives voice to the realization that relationships and romance don’t end after you reach a certain age, but that they are filtered through years of experiences.

Legendary Delta blues musician Keb Mo is featured on the album. He co-wrote two of the songs and sings a duet with Coolidge on “Walking on Water.”

The album was produced by Ross Hogarth and is on Blue Ělan Records, a company quietly gaining a reputation as an artists’ label, because of the way it embraces performers of all ages and genres. Coolidge says Blue Ělan reminds her of her days at A&M Records, when Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss were running the independent label as an artist friendly, family company.

Included in the review is a brief look at Coolidge’s career in the 70s and 80s.