Take Me Just as I Am

The single was issued in 1973 on James Brown’s People label and produced by Brown. It sits in the same James Brown family of releases that featured Lyn Collins alongside players such as Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Released as a People Records 45 in August 1973, it kept Collins active in Brown’s funk-soul single stream after her earlier breakthrough records. It was also a promotional vehicle for her “Female Preacher” persona. The track later became a sample source for hip-hop and funk producers, and WhoSampled lists it as sampled in 18 songs. Its hard-driving Brown-era groove has kept it in circulation on reissues and compilations.