Easily the best-ever collection we've seen of the work of
Fontella Bass – and one that really goes past her oft-remembered hit, to feature the full scope of her mid 60s work for Chess Records! To most folks,
Fontella's remembered for a few reasons – her Aretha Franklin-styled hit "Rescue Me" (often mistaken for Aretha herself), or the fact that she married Art Ensemble member Lester Bowie. But back at the start,
Fontella was a heck of a great little soul singer – capable of a wide variety of modes, all of which are included here! The 25 track package really shows an evolution in music – and
Bass sings in styles that include deep soul ala Atlantic, sweet soul ala Motown, uptown soul ala Wand, soaring soul ala Brunswick, and tight duet soul, in the mode of some of the more famous duets coming from Detroit or New York. CD really digs deep and brings back a full range of singles, plus some unreleased tracks – and the sound here is totally great. Titles include "Oh No Not My Baby", "Our Day Will Come", "Free At Last", "I Surrender", "I Can't Rest", "Leave It In The Hands Of Love", "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin", "The Soul Of A Man", "Joy Of Love", "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "Come & Get These Memories", "Rescue Me", "Since I Fell For You", "I'm A Woman", "How Glad I Am", "Impossible", and "Lucky In Love".
(Out of print, please note that the CD holder in the digipak case is cracked and is priced accordingly.)