Right Now (Della Reese album)

Known for her acting and television career, Della Reese first found success as a singer and recording artist. She had commercial success with the top singles "And That Reminds Me" (1957) and "Don't You Know?". She recorded albums for Jubilee and RCA Victor. At the latter, Reese collaborated with production team, Hugo & Luigi.^[2] When the pair became presidents of the Avco Embassy label in 1969, they signed Reese to the label.^[3] Her second album for the company was 1970's Right Now,^[1] which was also produced by Hugo & Luigi.^[4] The production for the album was finished around August 1970.^[5] The LP consisted of ten tracks^[4] which were mostly cover tunes of popular recordings from the era. Among them was Melanie's "Leftover Wine" and the Jack Moran-penned tune, "Skip a Rope".^[1] Another track titled "Why Not Now" was composed by Reese herself.^[4]

Right Now was released by Avco Embassy Records in November 1970 and was distributed as a vinyl LP, featuring five tracks on either side of the disc.^[4] Billboard named the LP one its "Special Merit Picks" for the week of November 21, 1970 and praised Reese's vocal delivery: "The selections give Miss Reese an ideal opportunity to demonstrate her tremendous vocal range, and should be more of a success than her earlier album on this label."^[1] Right Now was promoted through a nationwide tour by label executives who gave a "product presentation", according to articles from Billboard and Record World in October 1970.^[6][7] Two singles were included on the LP: "Simple Song of Freedom" (issued in September 1970)^[8] and "Billy My Love" (issued in October 1970).^[9]