For those not in the know, Shirley Murdock’s work and success with famed funk group Zapp and Roger Troutman in 1984 provided a springboard for her solo career which began in earnest in 1986.

Featuring the self-titled US certified gold LP Shirley Murdock!, which included the US Top 20 and RnB Top Five hit, As We Lay which established Shirley as a mainstream recording artist and performer; 1988’s A Woman’s Point Of View, featuring the US RnB chart- making single ‘Husband’; and the 1991 set Let There Be Love! which, like Shirley’s previous solo albums, included a number of Shirley’s own compositions and was also produced by Roger Troutman.

With stellar artwork from Roger Williams and excellent mastering by Donald Cleveland, As We Lay – The Elektra Recordings 1985-1991 includes a total of ten bonus tracks.

CD 1: Shirley Murdock! (Expanded Edition)
1. Be Free
2. No More
3. Go On Without You
4. Truth or Dare
5. Danger Zone
6. Teaser
7. As We Lay
8. The One I Need
9. Tribute
10. Be Free (Sexy Sax Thang Mix) - Bonus Track
11. No More (Extended Mix) - Bonus Track
12. Go On Without You (Vocal/ Extended Mix) - Bonus Track
13. Truth or Dare (European Mix) - Bonus Track
14. As We Lay (Midnight Mix) - Bonus Track
15. Tribute (Extended Mix) - Bonus Track

Disc 1 reprises six cuts from the expanded edition of Shirley Murdock!, released by SoulMusic Records in 2018.

A little lost among the heavy-hitting R&B/funk stars of the ’80s, Shirley Murdock nevertheless made some impact on the charts and clubs. This debut album emerged in 1985 in the US and went gold.

The overall sense is of something understated, underrated and often in a gentle, soulful, easy-listening style that was never going to compete with the likes of Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Alexander O’Neal, etc.

The production, vocals and sound quality are very good and the bonus material completes the experience well. All six extra versions are excellent, though worth pointing out that Tribute is a Jesus-praising ballad and not at all a dance track.

For my money, it actually works better here in its extended form more than the one and a half minute original album cut and is nicely heartfelt - rather than some over-emoting and preachy histrionics.

CD 2: A Woman’s Point of View (Expanded Edition)
1. Husband
2. (Everybody Wants) Somethin’ For Nothin’
3. Found My Way
4. If I Know
5. Woman’s Point of View
6. Oh What A Feeling
7. I Still Love You
8. Spend My Whole Life
9. Modern Girl
10. And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going
11. Instrument of Praise
12. Husband (Single Edit) - Bonus Track
13. Found My Way (Single Edit) - Bonus Track
14. Oh What A Feeling (Extended Version) - Bonus Track

Disc 2 includes three edits and mixes not previously available on CD.

For my money, this is the best album Shirley Murdock ever made! The arrangements and production by the great Roger Troutmann are fabulous and Ms. Murdock’s vocals are stunning. She also sings some great backup vocals with herself, if you listen closely enough.

Her first album with Troutmann is also good, as noted, but I’d say you can’t go wrong with this one. Later, she went back into Christian music, but as far as I’m concerned, these kind of albums have way more soul than all of her Christian albums put together.

Innovative production, great vocals, and the album now complete with three bonus tracks (albeit two are just single edits), I mean, come on now, what more can you ask for?

CD 3: Let There Be Love! (Expanded Edition)
1. In Your Eyes
2. Stay With Me Tonight
3. Let There Be Love
4. Say It, Mean It
5. The Last Hurrah
6. We Should Be Together
7. Anywhere
8. Everywhere
9. Heavenly
10. Save The Children
11. You Brought The Sunshine - Bonus Track

Disc 3 also has Shirley’s version of The Clark Sisters’ classic, You Brought The Sunshine, first released in 1990 on the 40th Elektra anniversary compilation, Rubaiyat, which has been out of print for a number of years.

As we all know by now, Shirley Murdock was an emotional, passionate belter who believed in wailing and letting it rip! Let There Be Love! (once again produced by Roger Troutman, the funkster and George Clinton associate who was known for his extensive use of the vocoder with his band Zapp) also contains a few hints of P-funk on this more than decent, ballad-oriented release.

While Let There Be Love! isn’t the soul extravaganza Murdock is quite capable of delivering, R&B/pop ballads and slow jams like The Last Hurrah, Say It, Mean It and the Anita Baker-ish Anywhere aren’t anything to be embarrassed by either.

Meanwhile, Murdock increases the tempo with likable results on the house-influenced title song and the slightly jazzy We Should Be Together, this release now adding the bonus track You Brought The Sunshine.

This is a first-of-its-kind box set of expanded editions of the three stellar albums by renowned RnB/soul and gospel artist Shirley Murdock.

It is a 40-track 3CD deluxe package including Shirley’s trio of albums plus ten bonus tracks.

It comes with extensive liner notes from acclaimed music historian and writer Tim Dillinger, who co-produced this reissue with SoulMusic Records’ founder David Nathan, including an in- depth interview with Shirley who continues to work as a popular gospel artist and her husband, producer and musician Dale DeGroat specifically for this box set.

Official 3CD Purchase Link