Sunday's Child: Sunday's Child (1970)

Reprise Records let this fantastic album by the female soul trio from Portland, Oregon, Sunday's Child gather dust in warehouses. The band comprised 16-year-old Ilene Anderson (a giant who stood 6 feet 2 inches tall), 14-year-old Mary Lou Anderson, and 13-year-old Renee "Ren" Woods. Ren was a child singing prodigy, appearing on NBC's Soul Special at the early age of 10. Shortly thereafter she formed Soul Five, a pre-teen vocal group influenced by the Jackson Five, which later evolved into Sunday's Child. Sammy Davis Jr., with whom they made an appearance at Carnegie Hall, took them under his wing and was partly responsible for securing them a deal with Reprise Records. The three girls, who released this eponymous album for the label in 1970, alternate between singing harmonies and take solo leads from track to track. The LP takes that '60s Motown sound into a deeper vein - very much like the work of the Sweet Inspirations for Atlantic during the same time - and has got a nice rootsy sound that gives every selection a rich gospel flavor, which excells on a medley comprised of 'I Found a Love' and 'Yes I'm Ready,' as well as on 'You're Good for Me,' and 'Wichita Lineman.' The teenagers show reverence but no fear in tackling 'My Song,' popularized by Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees' 'To Love Somebody,' and Paul McCartney's 'Maybe I'm Amazed.' Sadly, none of the singles from the LP hit, and the album itself, despite being spirited and heartfelt, went virtually unnoticed, and Sunday's Child disbanded without fanfare. Shortly after, Ren Woods began a solo career, appearing on Bob Hope's Christmas Special, and recording for Elektra and CBS/ARC with little success. She later enjoyed a long acting career in television and movies, being best known for playing the role of Fanta in Roots, and also the girl with flowers in her hair who sang 'Aquarius' in the film version of Hair. Her most recent role was in the 2008 film The Blue Hour. http://www.answers.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://en.wikipedia.org/, http://music.msn.com/

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