Divided Soul

One of the most widely acclaimed pop music biographies finally gets the audio treatment. As coauthor of one of Gaye's biggest hits, "Sexual Healing," David Ritz actually knew Marvin Gaye, and their relationship gives this narrative a degree of intimacy rare in biographies. As Ritz explains, Gaye's troubled life was a classic Oedipal drama tinged with psychosexual overtones befitting Gaye's overtly sensual music. At the root of it was the artist's complex relationship with his father, a contradiction that Dion Graham narrates expertly, mimicking the dialects of Marvin and his father. Graham is at ease with the colloquialisms that abound in this rough-and-tumble story of the rhythm-and-blues business and the performer who was at the center of it all until his father tragically took his life. J.S.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

May 1, 1986
Based largely on interviews for a projected "autobiography'' that was cancelled after Gaye's death in 1984 at the hands of his father, this book is neither especially well-written nor perceptive. PW recommended that the Motown singer's fans ``skip the book and listen to his records instead.''

Starred review from June 1, 2009
Originally published in 1985 and newly available on audio, this biography unearths the demons that both plagued Marvin Gaye and inspired his music. Author Ritz, who has previously chronicled the lives of musicians including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and B.B. King, knows the music industry well and had access to Gaye and many in his inner circle. In Audie Award winner Dion Graham's ("River Rising") solid performance, he often seems to be channeling the singer's vocal range and speech patterns. Although the production would have benefitted from music at the CD breaks, this concise abridgment tells Gaye's story while providing insight into Motown and the music industry during his lifetime. Highly recommended. [Audio clip available through www.blackstoneaudio.com; this year marks the 70th anniversary of Gaye's birth, the 25th anniversary of his death, and the 50th anniversary of Motown.Ed.]Gwendolyn Osborne, Evanston, IL

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.