Singer/Songwriter Deniece Williams has one of the most amazing careers in music. The Gary, Indiana-native got a stellar early `70s start lending her sweet soprano voice to Stevie Wonder's band Wonderlove. Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire saw her on the road and asked her to join his Kalimba Productions family as its first female artist. She scored a classic out of the box with her first single, "Free." Two albums later she was paired with the great Johnny Mathis and had a smash with "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late." Then she enjoyed the coup of collaborating with Philly songwriting/producing legend Thom Bell for two albums (the first, 1981's My Melody, begat her hit "Silly" while the second, 1982's Niecy, a sweet cover of the Royalettes "It's Gonna Take a Miracle"). Later in the `80s she worked with George Duke scoring a black inspirational classic with "Black Butterfly" and the biggest pop record of her career with "Let's Hear it for The Boy" from the Footloose soundtrack. Around this time she began straddling the fence between pop and Christian music. Then, in the mid-`90s, she took some time off...

Well, the lady is out of hibernation promoting her first album in 11 years, Love, Niecy Style – a collection of 8 of her all-time favorite songs (produced by Philly veteran Bobby Eli), plus one new self-penned song (the sexy first single "The Only Thing I'm Missing is You," featuring Everette Harp on sax) and a remake of her `77 original "`Cause You Love Me, Baby" - on Shanachie Records. Over crab cakes and chicken quesadillas at The Cheesecake Factory - before she was off to Jakarta for a jazz festival - the ever-adorable "Niecy" chatted about life and music.

On reuniting with Stevie Wonder for Baby Washington's "That's How Heartaches Are Made":
"I've wanted to record that song for 35 years and knew I wanted Stevie playing harmonica on it. Years can go by when I don't see or talk to him, but when we come back together it's like no time has passed. Afterward, we just hung around the piano, catching up and singing.

On the challenge of singing Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free":
"The audacity of me to think I could do that song! I tried to back out of it, but Bobby and the label insisted. I'm glad they did. The message is one of such encouragement. We need that today with everything going on with us as a nation."

Reflecting on singer/songwriter peer Gwen Guthrie and the song "This Time I'll Be Sweeter":
Gwen, Patti Austin, Lani Groves and I did a lot of session work together in New York. I remember when she wrote that song and sang the demo herself. When I heard Angela Bofill do it (on her debut Lp Angie), I thought she did a beautiful job. I recorded it out of respect for Angie, too, but mostly for Gwen.

On covering Earth Wind & Fire's "Love's Holiday" with Philip Bailey singing background:
"That song, George Benson's 'Baby Love Me One More Time' and Kool & The Gang's 'Cherish' I wanted to do from a woman's perspective. I had to apologize to Philip for inviting him to sing something with me he's been singing for 30 years. He told me, 'Only for you!'"

On hosting her own radio show in London:
"I moved to London for two-and-a-half years to star in the musical Mama I Want to Sing. I was asked to take over a radio show that Gloria Gaynor was leaving called Gospel Train. We renamed it The Deniece Williams Show and brought Contemporary Gospel to London for 12 years. I got secular artists who were raised in the church to discuss how that impacted their music: James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Kenny Rogers, Gladys Knight, Heather Headley.

On rappers sampling her music:
"I never met Eazy E, but I would have given him a big ol' hug. He was one of the first to sample my music. I was listening to the radio driving one day and heard Snoop Dogg rap, 'Just like Niecy said it's gonna take a miracle.' I was like, 'Awright now!' One day Lil' Kim said she used to listen to me with her mom. That was nice, but when she sampled me, I wasn't as happy. I try to stay on top of the content rappers use when sampling my music. But I'm grateful to God that my music has gone on for 30 years and that royalty checks still come in."

On her arts-driven children:
"My boys wanted a studio in the house, so I spent a couple grand on the computer program Garage Band. Hmph…I'd have to go in there at 3 in the morning and shut `em down! They started spitting great songs out like it was nothing. (Producer) Jazze Pha has a mother named Deniece Williams that people keep mistaking for me. But I'm about to work it…call his studio and say, 'Tell him Mama said his brother needs a track!' My youngest son is a good writer but wants to act, and my older two children just formed their own film company and are looking for investors for their first film. There are no doctors or lawyers in my house and I'm fine with that. We're all creative!"

On her time away:
"I needed to get back to some normality. I had time to grow into a woman that I like a lot. I feel like I've turned a page and I'm entering an exciting new chapter of my life."

On Longevity:
"I was very fortunate. I went to Sarah Vaughan' s house and she cooked for me and both our mothers. I got to sit and visit with Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald…talk to Little Jimmy Scott. When I first got in the business, Nancy Wilson was my mentor. And I later got to work with Johnny Mathis and Lou Rawls. So I've always seen myself as that kind of artist. I felt that if God kept me healthy vocally, emotionally, spiritually and physically, that I would have 50 years in this industry. And I still have a long way to go."