From a Whisper to a Scream

From a Whisper to a Scream (Kudu KU-05) is dated 1972 by Wikipedia and Encyclopedia.com and 1971 by The Second Disc, with the sessions probably in 1971. Creed Taylor ran the label, and the arrangers were Pee Wee Ellis and Jack Wilson, with CTI's Don Sebesky adding strings on some tracks. It reached number 137 on the US chart and number 16 on the R&B chart. The songs are "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" (Gil Scott-Heron), "From a Whisper to a Scream" and "Sweet Touch of Love" (Allen Toussaint), "To Lay Down Beside You", "That's All Right with Me" and "'Til My Back Ain't Got No Bone" (Eddie Floyd), "Baby, I'm for Real" (Marvin Gaye), "Your Love Is So Doggone Good" (Big Dee Irwin) and "Scarred Knees"; a later CD adds Carole King's "Brother, Brother". Recording dates, the studio and exact personnel were not found.

After winning the Grammy for Young, Gifted and Black, Aretha Franklin passed the trophy to Phillips, saying she liked Esther's record and felt she could use encouragement. Christgau graded it B, writing that Creed Taylor proves a thankless producer. Raven reissued it in 2014 (RVCD-374).