betty lavette and carol fran - bluesoul belles
(the complete calla, port and roulette recordings)
suspect that the subtitle gives away a lot of clues as to the origins and styles on offer that are provided in this bumper value pack reissue of gritty raw emotional 60's soul. girl fronted soul music with all the necessary ingredients which now sound as timeless as anything that was released on motown or stax.
the 24 tracks are classic mid 60's productions with strings, clipped rhythm guitars, and the typically blues drenched vocals. betty lavette's classic 'let me down easy' is pure class despite the 40 year age of the song, as a lot of these tracks are lost versions (aka alternate takes) the finish is a little rough and ready in places, but surely this is just more appealing to the collectors of these raw grooves.
betty vocals are, on the whole, powerful and direct, but when the mood demands a more relaxed manner she can pull back the full force and come over a lot more relaxed, 'cry me a river' being a classic case, and you have just gotta love that live recording session addition of 'do it' hidden deep in the mix!
betty's section is then followed by the more serene carol fran tracks. though in fairness this is probably more down to the fact that the 13 tracks have a more rounded/polished production than the quality of the vocals on offer. carol's set opens with the laidback, rather special 'a world without you', all those strings and horns just melt the heart and set the scene perfectly for the emotional rollercoaster that is 'its my turn now', 'so close', etcetera, with their tales of love and pain, and obvious emphasis on the pain.
on a grotty summers day i love this stuff far more than i would normally admit, the phil spector-esque over the top-ness in the backing tracks, overwrought vocals, the honking saxophones, rolling piano riffs, and swollen strings all make for a perfect way to spend any hour when the rain pours down.
though this type of collection does make me wonder - just how deep are these vaults that $tateside have access to?
not that i am complaining, as long may these reissues continue, these songs are timeless classics and totally deserve an audience in 2005.