Until the film "20 Feet from Stardom" rolled around, Merry Clayton was most famous as Mick Jagger’s vocal foil on “Gimme Shelter,” but on her own she recorded a series of tough, soulful albums for the Ode label during the early ‘70s.

"Merry Clayton" is her 1971 self-titled second album, which, like the first, has never seen a vinyl reissue prior to our release. And it’s something of a lost soul classic, featuring Merry’s passionate takes on songs by Neil Young (“Southern Man”), Leon Russell (“A Song for You”), Bill Withers (“Grandma’s Hands”), and James Taylor (“Steamroller”), with production by Ode’s own Lou Adler and arrangements by Carole King and Billy Preston.