Soulful Divas, Vol. 1: Pop N Soul Sirens

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A collection of woman-sung hits that crossed over between the pop and R&B charts in the '60s and '70s (and some not-exactly-hits that might have), Pop 'n' Soul Sirens is baited with one universally recognized standard ("I Say a Little Prayer") but mostly concentrates on rarely heard delights. What a song needed to make it on both charts was music staid enough to keep pop audiences undisturbed coupled with singing distinctive and intense enough to engage soul fans, and though a lot of these rhythms are plenty square, singers like Freda Payne and Maxine Brown negotiate them with sly inventiveness. The minor tracks illuminate major ones, too: Florence Ballard's "It Doesn't Matter How I Say It" is cute rather than significant, but it helps to explain how the Supremes worked. --Douglas Wolk

Tracks:

I Say A Little Prayer - Dionne Warwick
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Madeline Bell
Love Letters - Ketty Lester
Hurt - Timi Yuro
Love In Them There Hills - Maxine Brown
He's Qualified - Doris Troy
Workin' On A Groovy Thing - Patti Drew
You're Incredible - Eloise Laws
It's Yours To Have - Freda Payne
It Doesn't Matter How I Say It (It's What I Say That Matters) - Florence Ballard
There'll Come A Time - Betty Everett
My Man (You Changed My Tune) - Martha Reeves
Who Gets Your Love - Dusty Springfield
I'm Coming Home Again - Gladys Knight

Amazon.com

A collection of woman-sung hits that crossed over between the pop and R&B charts in the '60s and '70s (and some not-exactly-hits that might have), Pop 'n' Soul Sirens is baited with one universally recognized standard ("I Say a Little Prayer") but mostly concentrates on rarely heard delights. What a song needed to make it on both charts was music staid enough to keep pop audiences undisturbed coupled with singing distinctive and intense enough to engage soul fans, and though a lot of these rhythms are plenty square, singers like Freda Payne and Maxine Brown negotiate them with sly inventiveness. The minor tracks illuminate major ones, too: Florence Ballard's "It Doesn't Matter How I Say It" is cute rather than significant, but it helps to explain how the Supremes worked. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

Flo does know.......2000-09-15

Hearing Florence Ballard sing without Diana Ross' interference makes this disc worth buying. The song may not have been a number one but it is a catchy tune and enjoyable to listen to. This hard to find track is a must have for any Supremes' fan.

Madeline Bell's original version of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" is a terrfic song...the Supremes and the Temptations cover version made it all the way to number two on the Billboard charts.

Gladys..Dusty..Betty and Freda's voices on these obscure songs sound sound rich and full.

"I Say A Little Prayer For You" by Ms Warwick is of course a solid hit.

A soulful compilation with some wonderful surprises!.......1998-08-10

Mixing well-known smashes (Warwick, Yuro), lesser known original versions (Bell, Drew) and rarities (Brown, Payne) makes for a lot of "sweet soul mus ic." Martha Reeves never sounded better on "My Man" and "Who Gets Your Love" proves once again that Dusty Springfield is one of pop music's best.

Music:

Music

Music