Joyce Kennedy - Mother's Finest! (1965)

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Here's something I've been looking for myself: the very first recordings by my all-time favorite female singer, Joyce Kennedy of Mother's Finest. I've posted some Mother's Finest before on this blog, and musically that band operated on the borders of Southern Rock. But hey, I'm here to broaden your perspective on good Southern music ;-) Posting this, is taking it even one step further. Theses recordings were done from 1963 up to 1965 and have nothing to do with Rock whatsoever. Instead we get a nice glimpse of somebody who would wind up fronting one of the most exciting bands of the 70's and still doing that to this day. This post includes 9 pre-Soul R&B. Sometimes reminiscent of Ike & Tina Turner, sometimes getting closer to stuff like 'My Boy Lollipop'. Joyce Kennedy was approximately 15 to 17 years old at the time of these recordings. Still a giant leap from the Southern Funk Rock of Mother's Finest. Some track, however, stand out and we can hear the unmistakable voice of 'Baby Jean'. Favorites of mine would be "Darling I Still Love You", "The Hifi Albums And I" and "Does Anybody Love Me". If you dig old school R&B, Soul, Mother's Finest or if you're an open-minded music lover, this set should really please you. Could this be love?