Patti Drew - Tell Him

 I randomly picked this one out of our collection while perusing nearby and thought I'd give it a spin. I do not remember Drew from her hey-day in the 60's but apparently my lovely wife grabbed this CD while working in Special Markets at EMI, as this is a Capitol Records CEMA Special Markets release from 1993.

Drew was a fine soul singer in the 60's with several should-have-been-hits, including the title track, a fine piece of songwriting that would fit in with the best of the Motown era. The feel continues in "Turn Away From Me", with a slight melodic nod to "Just One Look" although I think I prefer this one, followed by the lengthy-titled, piano-led "Tired Of Falling In and Out of Love" that Patti sings the hell outta, and a reliable take on "Knock on Wood", although it doesn't improve on the original (which, admittedly, would be mighty difficult), but "I Can't Shake It Loose" is a powerful, horn-driven bit of dynamic soul.

Covering Otis Redding is always tough and "My Lover's Prayer" is good, but not great, although "Stop and Listen" is a groovy upbeat bit of funky-soul, and Joe Tex's "Show Me" keeps the fast-paced dance beat going to good effect with great horn dynamics, and then Patti gives us a terrif soulful ballad in "Someone To Take Your Place" before the upbeat rockin' "Been Rained On" (the music is way more jolly than the lyrics!), which alternates with a slow but sultry "You've Changed".

The CD adds another version of "Tell Him" with the Drew-Vels adding backing vocals along with "Workin' On a Groovy Thing", which is one of the finer recordings here - a fab bit of girl group soul!

Not completely consistent - but how many recordings are? - but a strong contender for female 60's soul!