Bettye Swann

All of the material known to exist by Bettye Swann in the vaults of the Money label is found on this 24-track compilation. It has all of her 1965-1968 singles for the company, as well as a few songs released on her 1967 Make Me Yours LP, and nine previously unreleased tracks (two of which are just remixes, half a dozen of which are alternate versions). It's satisfactory, but not thrilling, mid-level soul, shaded a little toward the mainstream Motowny pop-soul side of things, though not overbearingly so. Swann did write most of her material, yet there wasn't much particularly striking (or inadequate) about her songs and vocals. Even non-intense soul listeners would have little trouble placing the material in the 1966-1967 time frame, so much is it like the standard soul fare of the era. Once in a while, particularly on the slightly earlier-sounding cuts, there are hints of a gutsier and more satisfyingly bluesier bent, as on "The Heartache Is Gone," "What Can It Be," and especially "I Will Not Cry." "Lonely Love," though a 1967 single, has the slight girl-group flavor more associated with some soul records from circa 1964, as does the previously unissued "The Dance Is Over." ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide