ELKIE BROOKS Don’t Cry Out Loud

It is 40 years since this version of the Peter Allen/Carole Bayer Sager classic charted in Britain for the wonderful singer Elkie Brooks. I know I will be derided by the legion of Elkie fans on youtube for saying so but Melissa Manchester’s version is the definitive for me; always has been and always will be, but Ms Brooks brings a different energy and tone to the composition. Unbeknownst to me until now, Elkie’s version preceded Melissa’s by a few weeks and it reached #12 in her homeland; whilst the Melissa Manchester Grammy nominated turn reached #10 in early 1979. I also didn’t realise that neither of these great vocal performances were the original of the iconic song. The Moments released it two years earlier; under the title ’We Don’t Cry Out Loud’ produced by famed singer Sylvia Robinson (’Shame Shame Shame’ - Shirley & Company). This R&B version was not a major hit but thanks to the pair of aforementioned vocalists, ’Don’t Cry Out Loud’ is a 70