Koko Taylor, The Queen of the Blues: September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009

As a friend of mine says, she's gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all eternity long ... bless her little cotton socks...

VA - The Return of the FunkSoulSisters (2005)

The second volume of Funk Soul Sisters repeats the formula of mixing sought-after and in-demand sister-funk records with well-known classics. The opener is Honey and the Bees' ‘Love Addict’, followed by Martha and the Vandellas’ ‘Easily Persuaded’, a Tamla Motown album track that sound like it could have been written for a blaxploitation movie. ‘Family Tree’ and ‘He's What I Need’ by Little Rose Little are brilliant slices of funk, while ‘Who Told You’ by Jackie Moore has a distinct latinesque feeling. The James Brown production ‘That's How It Feels’ by the Sisters of Righteousness allies a stomping beat with a gospel shout to impressive effect. James also produced the R&B/funk classic ‘Do You Really Want to Rescue Me’ by the larger-than-life Elsie Mae. Another soul great, Curtis Mayfield, was involved with Patti Jo's ‘Ain't No Love Lost’, which he produced and wrote. The next three tunes all have a deep southern flavour. Tommy Young's flute-laden ‘That's All a Part of Loving Him’ appeared on the Louisiana-based Soul Power label, which was part of the Jewel-Paula label that also issued Harolyn Montgomery's ‘Gotta Get Away’. Annette Snell's glorious ‘Love Connection’ is one of two fine featured from Nashville's Dial label, the other, ‘Jessie Joe (You Got to Go)’ by Jean Knight, is just as hot. Talking about the sound of the South, Millie Jackson recorded her breakthrough hits in Muscle Shoals, with Brad Shapiro. The wonderful ‘Hypocrisy’ is from those sessions. Jeannie Dee's ‘Two Heads Are Better Than One’ features some pounding piano at its entry point before Ms Dee gives us her words of wisdom. The Ebonettes provide us with a slightly odd sounding femme funk groove recorded up at Dave Hamilton's Detroit studio, whilst another Detroit singer, Gloria Taylor, gives us her club classic the frantic ‘Grounded’. TV Mama Jean's only Kent single is the slippery funk-with-a-message of 'Woman's Liberation', which is a similar concept to that delivered by Betty Moorer on ‘It's My Thing’. Inez Foxx is less politically right-on, but more scathing to her man on ‘Speed Ticket’, and the groove laid down is one of the hardest on the record. Leaving just room to mention Marie Adams, whose ‘Get Up And Do It Baby’ should be a manifesto for anyone who loves this music. http://www.acerecords.co.uk/

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Millie Jackson singing one of the tunes featured on this compilation, 'Hypocrisy’, on Soul Train, 1973:

VA - FunkSoulSisters (2003)

Funk Soul Sisters is a killer set of rare tunes and one of the best compilations of this type ever released. The SuperFunk crew at BGP went through the rich array of labels handled by the company taking things way past the obvious hits and girl group numbers, into hard and heavy-stepping territory. There is a great mix of northern and southern funk styles here that keeps things super-fresh; drums crackle, basslines pound, and the gals belt it out loud, clear, and funky. Some unreleased monsters include the wonderful Betty Barney, who leads out the Pazant Brothers on a track, 'Why I Sing the Blues', from an amazing live album recorded in 1970. Another of the unreleased cuts is by Lynn Varnado, who graces us with ‘Staying at Home Like a Woman’, and the rare Gator 45 ‘Tell Me What's Wrong’. As well as unreleased titles there is a bunch of cuts that only appeared on some soul comps first, like Betty Bibbs' ‘Pounds Of Soul’, Paula Lamont's ‘One Monkey Can't Stop the Show’ and the alternative version of Little Ann's ‘One Way Street’. Another great track is the most down-tempo on the album, Louise McCord's ‘Better Get a Move On’ from a rare gospel album on Stax's Gospel Truth label. It is intense, funky and extremely deep. Also included are some gems by Fontella Bass (‘Hold on This Time’), Millie Jackson (her funky debut 45 ‘My Heart Took a Licking (But It Kept on Ticking)’), the Genies (‘Know What to Do When You Get It’), Spanky Wilson (‘Sunshine Of Your Love’), Bonnie and Sheila (‘You Keep Me Hanging On’) and Thelma Jones (‘Mr Fix It’). Records that are absolutely busting out of their chains to make you move, either in the comfort of your front room, or on a night-club dance floor. Just make sure if it's at home you warn the neighbours that they'll be hearing some mighty fine music. http://www.acerecords.co.uk/, http://www.dustygroove.com/

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Irma Thomas: Something Good - The Muscle Shoals Sessions (1990)

Irma Thomas' brief liaison with Chess in 1967 saw her, like labelmates Laura Lee and Etta James, record in Muscle Shoals' Fame studios to tap into the southern/deep soul grooves that were one of the hottest tickets in soul music at the time. Commercially, these sessions weren't a success, though they were solid soul performances paced by Irma’s habitual excellent, committed vocals. Thomas recorded over a dozen tracks while backed by seasoned in-house rhythm and horn sections, plus Spooner Oldham on keyboards. Of the tracks she recorded, Chess released only three 45s. The first was a fine, Oliver Sain Jr. written, deep ballad called 'Somewhere Crying', backed by an average uptempo track, ‘Cheater Man’, written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn. It was, however, the next single that crowned Irma's Chess period, ‘A Woman Will Do Wrong’, a touching and memorable soul ballad, ranging from whispery to screamy and written by Paul Kelly and Clarence Reid. For some strange reason, none of these singles had much success, but her third, a reading of Redding's ‘Good to Me,’ was a minor R&B chart entry in 1968. Unimpressed - and despite some fine unreleased material, like Otis' ‘I've Been Loving You Too Long’ and ‘Security’ and and Goffin & King’s ‘Yours Until Tomorrow’- Chess decided Thomas was a poor seller and scrapped plans to release an LP by her. That none of Irma's Muscle Shoals releases connected with the public is puzzling (lack of marketing was only part of the problem). Even worse, most of her work for the label went unissued for over 20 years. The combination of her mature, soul-saturated delivery, coupled with a raw vocal grittiness, and the tight, could-only-happen-in-Mussle Shoals perfection of the band made for some of Irma Thomas' most satisfying performances. As she stated, even though the band may not have been from New Orleans, it delivered its own elegant, yet understated, funk and soul bravado to the songs, allowing Irma to connect with the material in a way most singers can only dream about. This is a must if you're an Irma Thomas fan, with 14 tracks that include several Chess singles and nine songs recorded for that album which was never released. http://www.artistdirect.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.answers.com/, http://www.soulexpress.net/

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Carol Douglas: The Carol Douglas Album (1975) ... plus

Though Carol Douglas was already an experienced performer of ten years - she started her professional show business career as an actress in the ‘60's doing TV commercials and theatre work before landing the role of lead singer for the reformed soul group The Chantels -, it was ‘Doctor’s Orders’ which claimed responsibility for the Brooklyn native attaining national recognition. That song, which was a remake of a popular British single by singer Sunny, began its climb to the top ten of R&B and pop charts in December, 1974, and arguably gave large definition to an imminent category of music called “disco.” ‘Doctor’s Orders’ alone would make her debut album a classic, but the quality is far from limited to that track. Earthy dance gems like 'A Friend in Need', 'A Hurricane Is Coming Tonight' and 'Baby Don't Let This Good Love Die' are a nice cross between the late-'60s sound of Detroit soul and late-'70s dancefloor soul. Meanwhile, the mellow ‘Take Me (Make Me Lose Control)’ and ‘I Fell in Love with Love’ show a calmer side, while still keeping the groove alive. Douglas has a sophisticated, understated approach that is fully soulful without any dramatic gestures, and she brings a rich vibe to each tune. The only drawback is the presence of somewhat formulaic melodies and lyrics at some points - an aspect usually overcome by the classy arrangements. On a few tunes, the singer lacks a certain warmth, perhaps because she's trying to play it a little too cool. Overall, The Carol Douglas Album is an impressive pre-disco effort which helped pave the way for many subsequent albums by dance-driven R&B acts. This reissue of the LP also includes an extended version of ‘Doctor's Orders,’ as well as the singer's '80s cover of The Three Degrees' ‘My Simple Heart.’ http://www.arenaproduction.com/, http://www.allmusic.com/

Gladys Knight & the Pips: Silk N' Soul / The Nitty Gritty (1968 / 1969)

26-track digitally remastered 2-on-1 set comprised of Gladys Knight & the Pips’ Silk N’ Soul album, plus their 4th LP The Nitty Gritty, showcasing how Gladys could take both soul and pop songs and make them her own. Silk N’ Soul was released in 1968 as an album of remakes and managed to chart (#136) on Billboard's Pop Album Chart. It contains their bold reinterpretations of 'I Wish It Would Rain' (the only single of the album), 'Baby I Need Your Loving', 'Every Little Bit Hurts' and 'The Tracks of My Tears' amongst others. The group's soulful renditions of pop hits like ‘The Look of Love’ and ‘Theme from Valley of the Dolls’ are also enjoyable. As for Nitty Gritty (1969), it spawned one of the group’s greatest moments with the funky title cut and their renditions of several Whitfield/Strong compositions also recorded by the Temptations, like ‘Cloud Nine,’ ‘It's Summer,’ and ‘(I Know) I'm Losing You’. There are two Ashford & Simpson songs, ‘Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime)’ and ‘Keep an Eye,’ also turned up on other Motown releases. The title track, a successful single, throws together a James Brown syncopated groove, Family Stone horns and gaga guitar distortion, with minimal melody or lyrics. There's also a cut repeated from an earlier Pips record, ‘Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone’ plus two bonus tracks, the hit single ‘Friendship Train’ and ‘Billy, Come on Back as Quick as You Can.’ All in all, there are no failed experiments here: every track succeeds and Knight's voice adds urgency throughout. Besides, the Ashford & Simpson numbers are marvelous, and Harvey Fuqua's ‘All I Could Do’ and Ivy Hunter's ‘The Stranger’ are fine mid-‘60s soul. Thanks to top-shelf production, Gladys gets a sound that's ultra-hip, a bit deeper soul at times, but also with some of the more righteous overtones that Whitfield was bringing to other Motown acts at the time - a more pronounced sense of rhythm that foreshadowed the raw soul which would become the common language of R&B in the '70s. http://www.warr.org/, http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.allmusic.com/. Thanks again, Martin, for this one!

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Gladys Knight & the Pips's funky 'Nitty Gritty':

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Performing 'The Friendship Train' on BBC television, 1972:

Hands Off!: Modern Studio Recordings (1950-1956)

What to do with the output of several women singers who recorded for one of the foremost R&B labels of the early to mid-'50s, but didn't really record enough to merit a single-artist album of their work for the company? The logical solution is this Hands Off! compilation, which groups them all together on a 27-track set. Of earliest vintage are the cuts by Helen Humes, who stopped off at Modern in 1951 for one session. Among the five sides she cut for the label are versions of ‘The Laziest Gal in Town’ and ‘I Ain’t in the Mood’ (an answer-song to John Lee Hooker’s I’m in the Mood). Helen wrote the other three songs herself, including ‘Take My Love’. Donna Hightower also wrote much of her own material and, like Humes, possessed a vocal style younger than her age. She released four singles for Modern’s RPM subsidiary, starting with ‘Dog Gone It’ and ‘Bob-O-Link’, both in thrall of LaVern Baker. Donna’s third and final session for the label yielded 'He’s My Baby' and 'Cool Daddy Cool', two top notch examples of female rock’n’roll. The story goes that Linda Peters and Dolly Cooper are the same person. Her first Modern session, as Linda Peters, begat two excellent Little Esther-influenced singles plus ‘You Won’t Trouble Me No More’, a previously unissued track. Reverting to her previous moniker, her next single – ‘My Man’ b/w ‘Ay La Bah’ – was another corker, but then came a cover version of Gloria Mann’s ‘Teenage Prayer’, delivered by Dolly in a rather mannered voice. ‘Make Love to Me’ and ‘Oh, My Dear’, by Zola Taylor, might not be exactly in tune, but they have a lot of charm and heaps of historical value. She'd be the singer from this group to experience the greatest commercial success when she joined the Platters shortly afterward. Hardcore R&B collectors might be familiar with some of the tracks on Hands Off!, but there are plenty of cuts here making their digital debut, and numerous others that are hitherto unheard alternate takes, so completists are well catered for. Enjoy! http://www.acerecords.co.uk/, http://www.allmusic.com/

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Barbara Lynn: You'll Lose a Good Thing (1997) ... plus

Although Barbara Lynn was born and raised in Texas, she personified the lazy beats, greasy horns, and chiming piano that characterized early '60s New Orleans R&B. Back in the ‘90s Bear Family released two comps of Barbara Lynn’s Jamie sides. The first of them is this out of print 27-track set of her best early sides from 1962-65, including a half-dozen previously unreleased songs (there's also 4 extra cuts which I added at the end as bonus -see attached covers). The material is idiosyncratic stuff with a bluesier, swampier feel than most any other soul being made during the time, which captures the crack studio band (featuring a young, pre-Dr. John, Mac Rebennack) led by producer Huey P. Meaux. Only a few cuts, such as the classic ‘You'll Lose a Good Thing’ troubled the charts but, like many similar collections, the songs are uniformly well played and sung with plenty of obscure gems scattered throughout. Although she was barely out of her teens when cutting these sides, Lynn's husky voice, somewhat like that of her peer Irma Thomas, shows a confidence belying her young age. New Orleans-styled horns, bluesy organ, and some gutsy guitar licks usually decorate the arrangements, while Lynn puts the tunes across with an assured reserve. The prize obscurity here is the original version of ‘Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin')’ (which Lynn wrote), covered by the Rolling Stones in 1965. Overall, this is first rate Southern Soul, usually upbeat, sometimes with a downcast feel that verges on the morose, as on ‘Dedicate the Blues to Me’ and ‘Ring Telephone Ring.’ Another oddity is ‘You Can't Buy My Love,’ on which it sounds like Meaux was trying to replicate the organ-colored polka-rock he'd just crafted for the Sir Douglas Quintet. Barbara Lynn would have been a major star, but perhaps her formidable talents where ahead of her time. She played guitar, lefthanded no less, and she was also one of the few female singers of her time to write her own material, and some of this set's finest selections such as ‘Second Fiddle Girl’, ‘You'll Lose a Good Thing’, ‘Teenage Blues’, 'You Don't Sleep at Night' or ‘Lonely Heartache’ are Lynn originals. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Lynn's rendition of Ray Charles' 'What'd I Say', circa 1966. It's also a good chance to enjoy her guitar skills:

Nancy Wilson: Now I'm a Woman (1970)

Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists. While often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Wilson recorded regularly by the late '50s, eventually signing to Capitol and issuing classic albums, including 1959's Like in Love and Nancy Wilson with Billy May's Orchestra. Her dates with Shearing solidified her standing as a talent on the rise, and her subsequent work with Adderley further cemented her growing fame and reputation. In the late '60s, however, Nancy Wilson moved away from jazz, making a number of albums which could be properly categorized as pop and R&B outings. After an extended period of works with producer David Cavanaugh, Wilson did this 1970 album with Gamble-Huff productions, featuring producers/arrangers including Thom Bell, Bobby Martin, and arranger-conductor Lenny Pakula. Cavanaugh executive produced. Around this time the Philly production team was best known for their work with artists like Jerry Butler, Billy Paul, and the Delfonics, among many others. Wilson falls right into the production style. ‘Now I’m a Woman’ is a customary strong outing from Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The beautiful ‘Joe’ has the sound of a prime Thom Bell production and Wilson gives an amazing performance and a particularly emotional note that might go through a listener. Nancy shines on ‘Lonely, Lonely’ and ‘Let's Fall in Love All Over’; both benefit from Bobby Martin's patently brassy and sweeping Philly production. All in all, and despite a few missteps, Now I'm a Woman is an important album in Wilson's oeuvre and the Philly sound. http://www.allmusic.com/

Baby Washington: The Sue Singles (1962-1968)

Baby Washington possessed one of the most compelling and moving voices of the soul era. With her contralto to mezzo-soprano tones she combined down-to-earth gospel soulfulness with a stately uptown elegance. She may never have enjoyed the cross-over success of Dionne Warwick, but her haunting singing is one of the most singular sounds to have emerged from the New York soul scene of the early ‘60s. Washington was raised in Harlem, singing first in a vocal group, the Hearts, in 1956 and becoming a solo artist the following year. She built a career with 16 chart entries during a decade and a half, most of them during the 60s, recording in New York first for Donald Shaw's Neptune label and then for Juggy Murray's Sue label. She established herself as a major soul singer recording ‘The Time’ and ‘The Bells’, both in 1959, and ‘Nobody Cares’, in 1961. Moving to Sue Records in 1962, Washington hit the US national Top 40 in 1963 with the sublime ‘That's How Heartaches Are Made’ - a song which was heavily covered by the likes of Randy Crawford, Loleatta Holloway and Jerry Butler -, and the US R&B Top 10 with ‘Only Those In Love’, in 1965. Washington revived her career in the early ‘70s, recording in Philadelphia a duet with Don Gardner, a revival of the Marvelettes' ‘Forever’, a solo release ‘I've Got to Break Away’, and a well-received album. The coming of disco in the mid-‘70s effectively killed her career, as it did those of many soul artists. This excellent 28-track compilation of her work for the Sue label in the '60s has all of the significant R&B hits she recorded for the company, including 'That's How Heartaches are Made', ‘Handful of Memories,’ ‘Who's Gonna Take Care of Me,’ ‘It'll Never Be Over for Me,’ ‘Only Those in Love,’ and ‘No Time for Pity.’ It's also the best showcase for her versatility, going from near-gospel to string-laden uptown pop/soul, and even a bit of blues, straight pop, and jazz-inflected numbers. Her influence on Dusty Springfield, who cited Washington as her all-time favourite singer, can easily be detected on ‘I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face’ and ‘Doodlin',’ both of which Springfield covered in the '60s. http://www.acerecords.co.uk/, http://www.oldies.com/

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