JEANNE & THE DARLINGS / THE CHARMELS - WE'RE THE SOUL GIRLS: THE COMPLETE VOLT RECORDINGS

Two overlooked female soul groups from the legendary Stax Records – both brought to light on this excellent CD! Neither act ever issued a full album at the time – and instead, each cut a handful of singles, and some unreleased gems – which are all brought together here, in a package that's like finding a lost album from each group! Jeanne & The Darlings have a massively heavy sound – that great Memphis soul bottom that really makes the tunes hit hard – way harder than most other girl soul from up north, with that burning southern sound that made Stax/Volt legendary in the late 60s – a perfect fit for Jeanne's great lead vocals, which are plenty deep soul themselves. The package features their classic "Soul Girl", the unissued "I'm In Love With You" and "Changes" – and other single cuts that include "How Can You Mistreat The One You Love", "That Man Of Mine", "Hang Me Now", "I Like What You're Doing To Me", and "It's Unbelievable".

The Charmells are a group with a sweet sound up top, yet a way of turning over a tune that often makes for an undercurrent of funk – a quality that's had the group sampled more than a few times over the years! This mix of sweet and deep is incredibly captivating – and a quality that makes them one of the best Stax acts of the 60s – finally brought to full light here with tracks that include "Please Uncle Same", "Something Sweet About My Baby", "Loving Material", "As Long As I've Got You", "Sea Shell", and "Baby Come & Get It" – plus unreleased gems that include "Peace Maker", "Someone Made You For Me", "Baby Hurry", "Let's Exchange Hearts", and "I've Done It Again".
~ Dusty Groove