This 26-track compilation is a virtually complete collection of the 1965-1969 material this South African singer cut during her period as a British resident, including 17 songs from her 1966-1969
Atlantic
singles (one of them cut as half of the duo of
Tony & Tandy
); her two 1965
Pye
singles; and five previously unreleased tunes she cut at
Stax
in Memphis in 1966. (Unfortunately her sole
Mercury
single, from 1966, was unavailable for licensing.)
Sharon Tandy
was a
blue-eyed soul
singer rather in the mold of
Dusty Springfield
, both in terms of her voice and her versatility, blending various shades of
soul
,
British pop
, and even some tinges of
mod
-psychedelia. Her voice wasn't as exceptional as
Springfield
's, and she didn't record songs that were as memorable, though a couple would have been worthy hits. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable anthology of a worthwhile if minor performer, hitting its peak on a couple of songs on which she's backed by British
band
Fleur de Lys
"Hold On"
(galvanizing
-
freakbeat
) and
"Daughter of the Sun"
(on which she plays the part of something like a psychedelic witch). That's an avenue that, arguably,
Tandy
should have pursued further, both because she was good at singing harder
rock
, and because it might have distinguished her from the numerous sub-
women '60s
pop/rock
singers in the British market. There are some other standout tracks here, though, like the straight
-like
of
"I Can't Get Over It"
; the gentler, fully produced mid-'60s dramatic orchestrated
pop
"Perhaps Not Forever"
and
"Hurtin' Me"
; the sexy dance
"Hurry Hurry Choo Choo"
; the very
Sandie Shaw
"The Way She Looks at You"
; her fine, graceful cover of
Lorraine Ellison
's
classic
"Stay With Me"
; and her cover of
the Bee Gees
'
"World."
Stax Records
collectors might want to note that
Booker T. & the MG's
Isaac Hayes
, and
the Memphis Horns
back
on seven of these tracks (the five 1966 outtakes and the single
/
"Toe Hold"
), and that one of those outtakes,
"One Way Street,"
is an
David Porter
composition that doesn't seem to have been recorded by anyone else. The disc is accompanied by voluminous liner notes, including detailed reminiscing by
herself. ~ Richie Unterberger