Reviewed by Stephen Luff

Cissy (mother to Whitney),was originally part of gospel group The Drinkard Singers, then in the early '60s crossed into R&B and pop with The Sweet Inspirations, providing backing vocals for Elvis Presley (when he returned to live shows), Dusty Springfield, Otis Redding and dozens more. In the late '60s Houston decided to concentrate on a solo career and signed with Commonwealth United Records in 1969 (the contract was later sold to Janus Records). This album was the first result. It contains covers of many soul and pop songs at the time including Bobbie Darin's "I'll Be There" (a hit for Cissy in the US), an uplifting version of the Beatles' "Long And Winding Road", the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and Melanie's "Any Guy". The 12 extra bonus tracks re-issue specialists SoulMusic have dug up here include "Midnight Train To Georgia", recorded before the major hit for Gladys Knight And The Pips and to my mind the superior version. This album is full of wonderful, soulful moments, but those looking for gospel recordings will be disappointed with the rather weak lyrics of (but beautifully sung) "I Believe", mixed here with "He", being the only offering here. The only snag to this historic collection is the recording quality on a number of the bonus tracks such as "Love You" and Goffin and King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". The notes included with the CD are exceptional, outlining the history as well as quotes from daughter Whitney, Luther Vandross and Dionne Warwick. All in all, this 21 track collection of historic recordings can be recommended to all lovers of vintage soul music.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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