Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Bit by bit, all the minor figures of '50s rhythm and blues are getting their tracks dusted off and reissued on CD for a small but vociferous collector's market and I for one applaud the interest in all that groundbreaking music. Lula Reed never did quite hit the big time though she did record the original version of "Drown In My Own Tears", a soulful wallow in self-pity that became a Ray Charles classic. Her charming nasal voice (not dissimilar to Shirley & Lee's Shirley Goodman) was heard on a stream of records cut in the '50s with her band leader husband Sonny Thompson and this compilation brings together 24 cuts for King Records made between 1952 and 1955. Lula had begun her singing career in church and was coached by gospel legend Harold Boggs before she "went secular". She did, however, record four gospel songs for King, one of them, "A Quiet Time With Jesus", with Lula aided by an unknown male vocal group, featured here. According to Ace's publicity Lula "now leads the Christian life and has no wish to discuss her pre-God finding activities with the world." Maybe it was her more salacious recordings like "Your Key Don't Fit No More" make her reluctant to dig the dust with the music historians.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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