13052014 - The Shirelles "Tonight's the Night"

You never really check out the full albums by these groups, do you? Well, that's a shame, because there's a lot of gold being missed out on by... basically everybody! We all know "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", one of the most beautiful and tender songs by any girl group from this era, but there's plenty of other gems here. "Lower the Flame" is one, a grooving tune with lyrics about trying not to give in to teenage desire. "You Don't Want My Love" is another, and perhaps the album's highlight. I mean, those vocals! DAMN, there's so much feline soul and raunchy blues contained within the confines of that melody! The best songs are the soulful and sad ones, with "The Dance Is Over" and "Unlucky" towards the end of the album as great examples of this - you can almost feel the heartbreak! Yes, this album was released in 1961 and most people only know one song, perhaps two, but make no mistake - this is a wonderful album.