Betty Everett: It's in His Kiss - The Very Best of the Vee-Jay Years (1962-1965)

Having moved to Chicago in the late ‘50s, Betty Everett recorded unsuccessfully for several local labels, including Cobra, C.J. and One-derful, and briefly sang lead with the all-male group the Daylighters. Her hits came soon after signing to Vee-Jay Records, where ‘You're No Good’ (1963) and ‘The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)’ (1964) established her pop/soul style. A duet with Jerry Butler, ‘Let It Be Me’ (1964), consolidated this position, but her finest moment came with ‘Getting Mighty Crowded’, a punchy Van McCoy song. Her influence spread to the beat groups in the UK and groups such as the Swinging Blue Jeans, the Spencer Davis Group and the Hollies all covered songs she recorded. Her career faltered on Vee-Jay's collapse in 1966, and an ensuing interlude at ABC Records was unproductive. However, in 1969, ‘There'll Come a Time’ reached number 2 in the R&B charts, a momentum that continued into the early ‘70s with further releases on Uni and Fantasy Records. Everett's last chart entry was in 1978 with ‘True Love (You Took My Heart)’, on the United Artists Records label. The Very Best of Betty Everett offers a nice overview of the Mississippi native's emotive blend of soul-pop material from 1962 to 1965, including all the aforementioned Vee-Jay hits. With her powerful and at times vulnerable-sounding vocal delivery, Everett also takes in the '50s nostalgia cut ‘It Hurts to Be in Love,’ and a few more duets with Butler, including fine covers of ‘Smile’ and Curtis Mayfield's ‘Just Be True.’ Showing her versatility, Everett even offers up the straight pop ballad ‘Coming From You’ and the big-band swinger ‘June Night’; considering her tenure in gospel choirs as a kid, and the time spent in Chicago honing her soul skills, this seamlessly wide-ranging approach really comes as no surprise. A fine collection of songs, all unified by Everett's incredible voice. http://www.answers.com/, http://www.oldies.com/

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