Randy Crawford: A soul saved from the church

IN A POP music market fuelled more obviously than ever by fad and fashion, the recent British success of Randy Crawford has been taken in critical circles as proof that some of the older values endure. This 29-year-old American, barely known a year ago, is now seen to be the latest in a long line of outstanding female soul singers including Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin. The species was thought to have been driven into extinction by the disco boom of the late '70s; the ascent of Miss Crawford is persuasive evidence to the contrary.