NELLA DODDS / THIS IS A GIRL'S LIFE KENNY HAMBLEによる60年代中頃VIRTUEスタジオ録音アーリー・フィリーに萌える！
NELLA DODDS / THIS IS A GIRL'S LIFE: THE COMPLETE WAND RECORDINGS 1964-1965 (KENT)
NELLA DODDS。狂信的フィリー・ソウル・ファン悶絶のCD化である。学業と平行して音楽活動を続けた才女である彼女は無名のガールズ・グループの一員として14才でレコーディング・デビュー。シグマ・サウンド・スタジオの前身VIRTUEスタジオにて60年代中期、若き日のケニー・ギャンブルも携わり製作。1964〜1965年までのソロ活動期間中、僅かに残された全シングル全15曲を完全収録しての初単独CDアルバム化！
収録内容
1. Come Back Baby
2. Girl's Life
3. Ps And Qs
4. Finders Keepers Losers Weepers
5. Honey Boy
6. You Don't Love Me Anymore
7. Dream Boy
8. First Date
9. One Love Not Two
10. Whisper You Love Me Boy
11. To Get Your Love Back
12. Gee Whiz
13. Maybe Baby
14. Come See About Me
15. I Just Gotta Have You
シュープリームスのカヴァー「Come See About Me」がヒットし一躍人気急上昇。ダイアナ・ロスはモータウンの呪縛から脱しているとは言い難いが、ケニー・ギャンブル作初期の名作「Come Back Baby」「Finders〜」他が聞けることに加えて、ダイアナ・ロスに匹敵する彼女のキュートさにも注目だお。現在、ヴァージニア州にて聖職者として活躍中だそう。
by 新宿ディープ街道まっしぐらＳ氏
WAND音源をイヂらせたら天下一品の英KENTからさすがのリイシュー。アーリー・フィリーの息吹を彼女の可憐な歌声とともにご堪能下さいませ。
祝！初アルバム化度 ☆☆☆☆☆ | 全15曲に込められた想い度 ☆☆☆☆☆ | フィリー奥深し度 ☆☆☆☆☆ | 顎のラインがヴェリー・キュート！度 ☆☆☆☆☆
"How exciting - and long overdue"... Donzella Berry (Nella Dodds) - April 2007.
I'm proud of pretty much all of the work that I do for Ace, regardless of genre. I can positively answer the question "would I buy it myself?" to at least 99 ? of every 100 projects that I'm involved in. But although I love all of my 'children' equally, there will always be the occasional one for which I have a little bit of extra adoration. And this month I'm especially full of it for a project that I've been eagerly anticipating since, ooh, the mid 1960s at least….
Nella Dodds should, by rights, have had an album release 40 years ago, when she was signed to New York's Wand label via a production deal with Philadelphia's Dyno-Dynamic Productions - essentially the precursor of what would eventually evolve into Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's classic 1970s 'Philly Sound'. Nella should also have had several major Pop and Soul hits, rather than just the two fair to middling ones that she did have. But by the time that Philadelphia usurped Detroit as the epicentre of commercial Soul music, she had forsaken music for domesticity, destined to be regarded as another 'great unknown'.
Following some splendid detective work by "In The Basement" magazine's editor David Cole, we read Nella's first-ever interview. That was prompt I needed to begin the process that has resulted in "THIS IS A GIRL'S LIFE".
Nella's Wand catalogue, her 60s output in total, only amounts to 15 tracks, three of which have remained unissued until now. "Girl's Life" may not be the longest CD that Kent has ever released, but it's one of the best. The combination of her unusual, highly beguiling voice, some excellent songs and corking dance grooves make this a must for lovers of vintage soul. As well as Nella's hit cover of the Supremes' Come See About Me and its successful follow-up Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers, it features the Northern Soul favourites Come Back Baby, Honey Boy and P's And Q's are three brilliant unissued titles that will gladden the hearts of everyone who has ever wondered whether or not there was more than Nella's six original Wand 45s.
David Cole interviewed Nella again and updated his original article to bring her story up to date. Nella now combines singing with an acting career (she appears in the current hit movie Evan Almighty) and is thrilled to bits that her old records are finally being returned to circulation.
By Tony Rounce (Text from ACE Records)