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This 25-track British release is the most comprehensive anthology of Fontella Bass' Chess work ever assembled. Very Best of Fontella Bass includes the entirety of her 1966 The New Look LP, as well as ten tracks from singles and three duets with Bobby McClure. If you value quantity as much as quality, it's certainly a superior buy to the shorter 16-track Rescued: The Best of Fontella Bass compilation that came out on Chess/MCA in 1992, including all but two tracks from that collection. While Bass is a fine, commanding soul vocalist, however, you don't actually lose out on much if you already have that 1992 best-of, since most of the added tracks are covers of '60s soul hits (à la "Our Day Will Come," "Gee Whiz," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'") and pop standards from The New Look album. These are competently sung, but sound like LP filler, designed (as so many albums of the time were) to showcase the versatility of the artist. Nonetheless, some of the surplus items are worth hearing, particularly her bluesy reading of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's "I'm a Woman," the Motown soundalike "Lucky in Love," and the Bass-McClure duet "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)," though "Safe and Sound" is a transparent attempt to replicate "Rescue Me." It's still a good anthology of a good soul vocalist who had more to offer than her one big hit, though the shorter 1992 best-of is a more consistent listen.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Mort Garson, ComposerLyricist - Bob Hilliard, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Larry Harrison, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Williams, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carole King, ComposerLyricist - Gerry Goffin, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Raynard Miner, ComposerLyricist - Carl William Smith, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carla Thomas, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jerry Leiber, ComposerLyricist - Mike Stoller, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Buddy Johnson, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
O. Jones, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - BF Flip, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Barry Mann, ComposerLyricist - Cynthia Weil, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Oliver Sain, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Lamont Dozier, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Barbara George, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Raynard Miner, ComposerLyricist - Carl William Smith, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Sugar Pie DeSanto, ComposerLyricist - Shena De Mell, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Sugar Pie DeSanto, ComposerLyricist - Shena De Mell, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Raynard Miner, ComposerLyricist - Carl William Smith, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Raynard Miner, ComposerLyricist - Carl William Smith, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Oliver Sain, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Gerald Sims, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Karl Tarleton, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Carl Davis, Producer - John D. Jones Jr., ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Oliver Sain, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Unidentified, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, MainArtist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer - Oliver Sain, ComposerLyricist - Fontella Bass, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bobby McClure, MainArtist
℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jimmy Reed, ComposerLyricist - Billy Davis, Producer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Bobby McClure, MainArtist
℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Billy Davis, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Phil Wright, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fontella Bass, MainArtist - Raynard Miner, ComposerLyricist - Carl William Smith, ComposerLyricist - Bobby McClure, MainArtist
℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
This 25-track British release is the most comprehensive anthology of Fontella Bass' Chess work ever assembled. Very Best of Fontella Bass includes the entirety of her 1966 The New Look LP, as well as ten tracks from singles and three duets with Bobby McClure. If you value quantity as much as quality, it's certainly a superior buy to the shorter 16-track Rescued: The Best of Fontella Bass compilation that came out on Chess/MCA in 1992, including all but two tracks from that collection. While Bass is a fine, commanding soul vocalist, however, you don't actually lose out on much if you already have that 1992 best-of, since most of the added tracks are covers of '60s soul hits (à la "Our Day Will Come," "Gee Whiz," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'") and pop standards from The New Look album. These are competently sung, but sound like LP filler, designed (as so many albums of the time were) to showcase the versatility of the artist. Nonetheless, some of the surplus items are worth hearing, particularly her bluesy reading of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's "I'm a Woman," the Motown soundalike "Lucky in Love," and the Bass-McClure duet "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)," though "Safe and Sound" is a transparent attempt to replicate "Rescue Me." It's still a good anthology of a good soul vocalist who had more to offer than her one big hit, though the shorter 1992 best-of is a more consistent listen.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 25 track(s)
- Total length: 01:11:35
- Main artists: Fontella Bass
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Geffen
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
© 2006 UMG Recordings, Inc. This Compilation ℗ 2006 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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