A Portrait of Melba

A Portrait of Melba is the seventh album by singer Melba Moore, released in 1977.

Background
Moore's fourth album for Buddah Records, A Portrait of Melba - like Moore's two 1976 Van McCoy-produced albums - primarily aimed the singer at the disco market where Moore had had her first glimmer of success as a recording artist with the 1976 single "This Is It". A Portrait of Melba was produced by the virtuoso Philly soul duo McFadden & Whitehead - their first full album production - and was Moore's first album to be distributed by Arista Records.

Reception
The one single issued from the album: "Standing Right Here" in December 1977, failed to become a significant hit, stalling at #69 on the R&B chart in Billboard and #53 on that magazine's Dance Music/Club Play Singles, and A Portrait of Melba became Moore's first Buddah album release to fall short of both the Billboard 200 and the magazine's ranking of bestselling R&B oriented albums. However Moore would again collaborate with McFadden and Whitehead on her next album: Melba, which would become her most successful recording venture.

Track listing
All tracks composed by Gene McFadden, John Whitehead and Victor Carstarphen; except where indicated
 * 1) "You Are My River" (Carlos Santana, Leon Patillo)
 * 2) "Promised Land" (Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen)
 * 3) "I Don't Know No One Else to Turn To"
 * 4) "Standing Right Here"
 * 5) "Just Another Link"
 * 6) "Living Free"
 * 7) "Is This the End" (Douglas Brown, Tom Wallington, William Bloom)
 * 8) "Love and I Aren't Strangers Anymore"