Mary Wells: Servin' Up Some Soul (1968)

Servin' Up Some Soul is the eleventh overall album released by R&B legend Mary Wells, released in 1968 on the Jubilee record label. The success of ‘The Doctor’ and its flip, ‘Two Lovers History,’ prompted Jubilee to rush-release a whole album, which consisted of six originals, written by Mary Wells-Womack and Cecil Womack, and some remakes. Generally the sound here is close to Stax/Volt with a touch of Ike Turner's guitar work, and her voice has a high, wavery quality that's oddly reminiscent of Smokey Robinson. Part of the explanation is that her voice is so husky, when she's in her high register she sounds like a man singing falsetto. Cecil, now known as Zekkariyas, plays guitar and supplies backing vocals. The bluesy, deep soul inspired ‘Woman in Love,’ is saddled with brazen Memphis horns that nearly overpower her lead. ‘Two Lovers History’ is better, more mainstream R&B, Mary's vocal is self assuring and alluring, and the horns are not intrusive. ‘Bye Bye Baby,’ her first Motown release, gets an appreciated update, but maybe lacks the stark, rawness of the original. There is also a rendition of Betty Swann's ‘Make Me Yours’, which sounds as creamy as whipped butter. Womacks' soulful guitar introduces ‘The Doctor,’ a pleasant mid-tempo number that reached #65 on Billboards' Pop 100 Chart and #22 R&B, her biggest Jubilee single. Unfortunately, it was the last time a Mary Wells single would crack the Pop 100, though she would continue to have R&B hits. Servin' Up Some Soul would be her final album for thirteen years with 1981's In and Out of Love, as Come Together, recorded in 1969, wasn’t released until 1993. http://music.aol.com/, http://www.warr.org/

Mary Wells singing live 'My Guy' on Shindig, backing vocals courtesy of The Blossoms (1965):